2023-09-03 23:43:07
Charles Leclerc finished the final of the 2023 F1 Italian Grand Prix in 4th place. He said he suffered “a heart attack or two” on the Ferrari pitwall in a close race with team-mate Carlos Sainz in the closing stages. Both Ferrari drivers were unable to resist the Red Bull offensive, leaving Leclerc and Sainz to battle for the last spot on the podium at the team’s home race.
Leclerc appeared to have the upper hand entering Turn 1 on lap 47, but he slightly outbraked and both went off the track before being passed by Sainz at the Loggia chicane. After repeated refusals, Leclerc was told by his race engineers that he was free to battle his teammate for third place on the condition that he keep his overtaking attempts clean. However, on the final lap the two came close to contact. Sainz crossed Leclerc’s late rush into the inside of Turn 1, forcing a lockup as the former turned. Despite missing out on the podium for the third time at Monza, Leclerc was fascinated by his duel with Sainz, insisting that “racing should always be like this”. “I feel good, to be honest,” Leclerc said after the race. “We missed the podium, but Carlos is on the podium, so Ferrari is there. It would be disappointing if it was a boring race like now, finishing fourth, but in the end it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. “I think a lot of people didn’t enjoy it. The people in the pitwall would have had a heart attack or two, and Tifosi probably did too. But for me, this is F1. I’ve had fights like this with Max in the past, and today I had Czech and Carlos.”I think we were always pushing the limits of the regulations, both defensively and in attack, so it was fun. Carlos. He was in great form from the first lap in FP1, but today he’s happy.” Leclerc looked back on his final lap, though, admitting he didn’t expect Sainz to cross his path. . “I mean, I was on the outside, so I didn’t expect Carlos to come back on the left, but it was part of the fight,” explained Leclerc. “Honestly, I really enjoyed it, I can’t complain. I think I was smiling in the car. It was exciting, and I was tired with a lot of reactions at the end, but it was also fun.” Last race at Zandvoort Leclerc, who has had a tough weekend for Ferrari after retiring in 2018, acknowledged the importance of the Italian brand finishing on the podium at home. “At least the podium here is really good for the team and I think Tifosi would have enjoyed it, so it’s good,” added Leclerc. Ferrari moved up to third place in the Constructors’ Championship with 27 points, ahead of Aston Martin. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari): “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a fun race! The battle we had was great and Czech (Perez), Carlos and I were really close at the end, so exciting numbers. I was able to finish the lap, there was some free space behind me so I enjoyed it and pushed as much as I could.I hope the tifosi guys enjoyed it as much as I did and the support this weekend. I want to say a big thank you to the team and I hope there will be more races like this in the future and I look forward to getting back on track in Singapore.”
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