Leclerc delighted to win “the two most important races” · F1· RaceFans

Charles Leclerc says he has won the two most important races to him this season as he took victory in the Italian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver executed a bold one-stop strategy to beat the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and win his team’s home grand prix for the second time in his career.

It was Leclerc’s second win of the year after winning his home grand prix at Monaco back in May. Leclerc said he had now won both of the races that meant the most to him on the calendar.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” he said. “I thought that the first time would just felt like this and then the second time – if there was a second time – I wouldn’t feel a special. But my god, the emotions in the last few laps – exactly the same like in 2019, just watching the grandstands instead of the track, which is tricky. Incredible.

“Monaco and Monza are the two races that I want to win every year. Obviously, I want to win as many races as soon as possible and the world championship as soon as possible, but these are the two most important races of the season and I managed to win them this year. So it’s so, so special.”

Ferrari brought a significant upgrade package to Monza for this weekend. Asked if he felt the result was an indication that Ferrari could challenge for more victories over the rest of the season, Leclerc was cautious about the team’s potential.

“I don’t know, because I think our package was working pretty well on a track like Monza. However, will it be the same for the rest of the season? I doubt it,” he said.

“So I still think McLaren are the favourites, but we have made a step forward, that’s for sure. And Baku is a pretty nice track for me. I quite like the track and I’ve been quite competitive in the past. So who knows – maybe we can achieve something special again.”

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