Leclerc’s Win Removes Monaco Millstone. Ferrari Boss Hopeful The Gap To Red Bull Is Closing

MONACO — Ferrari increased its win total from last season, while Charles Leclerc broke a two-year drought in Formula One with victory from pole position at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Ferrari and McLaren are in a position to challenge Red Bull after eight races this season. This provides optimism for more competitive racing for all F1 fans.

“It’s exciting, and I hope it continues like this for the rest of the season,” Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur said following Sunday’s race. “It will be up and down until the end.”

It wasn’t last season that Max Verstappen broke his own F1 record with an incredible 19 victories for Red Bull. His teammate Sergio Perez won twice, and the only non-Red Bull driver to win was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.

Ferrari | AP News Image

Leclerc’s Win Removes Monaco Millstone. Ferrari Boss Hopeful The Gap To Red Bull Is Closing

Leclerc and Sainz have one win each this year, as does McLaren’s Lando Norris. Red Bull now leads 5-3, with all of Verstappen’s victories, while Leclerc’s pole in Monaco on Saturday stopped Verstappen’s bid for a record-extending ninth consecutive pole.

Vasseur believes the momentum may be shifting.

“You have a kind of snowball effect,” Vasseur remarked. “You have to continue like this.

The 55-year-old Frenchman had known Leclerc since they worked together at Sauber in 2018 when Leclerc made his Formula One debut. They were reunited when Vasseur took over at Ferrari in December 2022, but Leclerc failed to win a race last year despite qualifying well with five pole positions.

Some of Leclerc’s performances were erratic. He made some sloppy blunders and lacked the calmness to match his undeniable speed: Leclerc and Verstappen are regarded as the fastest in Formula One.

Vasseur felt Leclerc was placing too much strain on himself, especially in Monaco. It’s where Leclerc grew up and, much to his dismay, where he had yet to finish on the podium before Sunday’s victory.

With family and friends watching him, especially Prince Albert, Monaco felt like a curse to Leclerc.

He qualified on pole in 2021 but could not start owing to a mechanical issue.

It was already frustrating, but the worst was yet to come.

Ferrari | AP news Image

Leclerc’s Win Removes Monaco Millstone. Ferrari Boss Hopeful The Gap To Red Bull Is Closing

Leclerc led from pole in 2022 until Ferrari’s previous leadership made an unpredictable and erroneous decision to change his tires after 22 laps, costing him an odds-on victory.

Given all of this, Vasseur believes Leclerc’s victory on Sunday will free him up mentally.

“Winning in Monaco was a huge relief for him. “I think this one can help him,” Vasseur added. Last year, he felt a little nervous. This time, he was much more relaxed from the start

Leclerc concurred, stating that he slept quite well on Saturday night — but this was partially due to what he ate.

When he arrived home, Leclerc made a snap decision: disregarding his dietary restrictions, he ordered a massive pizza.

“I ate like crazy last night. I came home too late and couldn’t cook, so I ordered my favorite pizza, which isn’t the finest preparation for a marathon,” he explained. “But I thought, ‘OK, maybe mentally it will help me relieve some of the pressure.'” Yes, that’s it. I slept well.”

His favorite pizza?

Ferrari | AP News Image

Leclerc’s Win Removes Monaco Millstone. Ferrari Boss Hopeful The Gap To Red Bull Is Closing

Margherita is a traditional recipe with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves, to which Leclerc adds his twist with “prosciutto crudo” (Italian dry-cured ham).

“Never pineapple,” he explained.

With the Monaco millstone gone, a refueled Leclerc can concentrate on climbing to the summit. He is second overall, 31 points behind three-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen.

Leclerc is convinced that his collaboration with Vasseur will be effective.

“He has a clear vision of what he wants to do and how he intends to accomplish it. “That’s his strength,” Leclerc explained. “I’ve always been completely aligned with how he wants to do things.”

The next stop for Ferrari is the Canadian Grand Prix, which takes place in two weeks.

Leclerc has good memories of Montréal, where he secured his second of 34 career F1 podiums in 2019.

SOURCE – (AP)