Tire management costs Charles Leclerc victory during the Sprint
A disappointing Sprint race for Charles Leclerc, who loses the victory in the final moments of the race.
Overtaking Max Verstappen at the start, Charles Leclerc was able to dominate the early stages of the race authoritatively before tire management issues allowed the Dutchman to catch up to the Monegasque. It was in the penultimate lap of the race that the reigning world champion overtook the Ferrari driver, struggling with his tires, securing the victory.
« We had a lot of graining on the front right. I pushed a lot at the beginning to prevent Max from getting the DRS. For tomorrow, we can try to manage the start of the race a little better like Max did. He was a bit slower at the beginning, but it helped him with the tires in the end.
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A result all the more disappointing in the face of the Italian crowd who came to support the local team: Scuderia Ferrari. However, Charles Leclerc is not hiding his pleasure at seeing so much red in the stands.
For us, Italy is always incredible. It’s a pleasure to see the stands like this, and I hope tomorrow we can give them, why not, a double.
Charles Leclerc will start 2nd on the grid tomorrow, between the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
