Charles Leclerc met the media in the Scuderia Ferrari HP hospitality on the eve of Friday’s free practice sessions at the Autodromo Nazionale, where he won last year almost unexpectedly thanks to a bold one-stop strategy: “I was reminded that my number is 16 and this year the Italian GP is the 16th race of the season – just like last year when I won, and also like in 2022 when I took pole. It would be nice to get both pole and the win again…” said the Monegasque with a smile. “Jokes aside, repeating last year’s victory will be almost impossible. We definitely can’t be considered the favourites, but Monza is Monza, and I’ll never stop trying. Winning on this track, in front of our tifosi, is so special that I can only have one goal this weekend – even if we know that McLaren, who were already a step ahead of us last year, are much stronger than us today.”

Remembering Niki. Like his teammate Lewis Hamilton, Charles is wearing a special helmet, suit and shoes this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda’s first World Championship title with Ferrari: “These blue t-shirts are really beautiful,” he said, “just like Lauda’s story with Ferrari. Obviously, I never saw this champion racing live because I’m too young, but I’ve studied his career, and we can certainly say his figure helped make Ferrari the team it is today. For me, it’s an honour to drive the car that he – and so many other champions before me – had the chance to drive. I hope I can give the tifosi a reason to be proud of us this weekend.”

Never stop fighting. Charles was also asked about his motivation and prospects for the final part of the championship: “We have no intention of giving up,” said Charles, “even though development on these cars is now almost over. The situation is the same for everyone, but even if development has stopped, that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to make better use of the package we have and achieve better results. In fact, I’d say that’s exactly what we’re doing and what we want to keep doing: second place in the Constructors’ Championship is an important goal, as is getting mine and the teams’ first win of the season. These are the short-term targets that keep us pushing to the maximum.”