A boulevard for Charles Leclerc?

With Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz et Lewis Hamilton penalized on the grid, there were not many doubts regarding the identity of the pole sitter for the Italian Grand Prix this Sunday. The surprise, however, is that Charles Leclerc was able to get it on the track, consistently ahead of Max Verstappen, winning an eighth pole this season, the record for a driver Ferrari for Michael Schumacher in 2004. 

Naturally, in its favorite setting and in front of its beloved fans, the Scuderia hopes to win at all costs to save the honor of a season which has slipped through its fingers. With Max Verstappen 7th on the grid, does poleman Charles Leclerc have a boulevard in front of him? Of course, the Monegasque is not naive, he knows that the Dutchman has four successes in a row, including two obtained from 13th (Hungary) and 10th (Belgium) place on the grid. 

Max Verstappen hopes he can spoil the party at Monza. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Only this time, Charles Leclerc was reassured by the pace of his Ferrari, he who is back on pole for the first time since the French Grand Prix. Does Nicolas Todt's protégé have a real chance of winning on Sunday? He believes it. “We'll have to get a good start, but my feeling about the race pace was good, so no matter what happens in the first corner or in the first lap, I think we will still have the pace to win the race. » 

Two different aero configurations for Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen

The traditional long stint simulation carried out on Friday afternoon in the second part of FP2 showed that Red Bull still remained the fastest car over the long stints. It's simple, Max Verstappen managed the same times on soft tires as Charles Leclerc on mediums, with a net overall advantage estimated at around two tenths. The Batavian also showed all his confidence. “From what I've seen from the race simulations, it looks good on our side. I will need to have a clean first lap, and quickly get rid of the cars in front of me in order to have the best possible chance of getting back up.” 

Fans want to see their driver shine and win, three years later. © DPPI

If Ferrari was able to go for pole and compete again with Max Verstappen on one lap, it is because of the profitable choice it made compared to Red Bull. The Scuderia has in fact tuned its cars with a very unloaded rear wing, unlike the Austrian team which took the gamble of adding a little more downforce. Result ? “Ferrari is faster than us in a straight line, but I hope to be able to get closer to Charles, to be in the battle, explained Verstappen…and then be able to count on the additional support that you will have in the turns. »

Despite an unloaded wing, Leclerc found his car perfectly predictable and not immensely complicated to pilot. But be careful, less support also means more degradation for the Scuderia! Ferrari will in any case start in the best possible position. Charles Leclerc will have to avoid any mistakes, and the Scuderia not ruin everything at home with a risky strategy. For that, however, it is not a win! 

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