The year was 2019, and a sea of red gathered in front of the Italian GP podium as Charles Leclerc waved to them. That race holds a special place in the hearts of all Tifosi—it’s when they crowned Leclerc as Ferrari’s next big thing! To win for F1’s oldest and most successful team in its home race is a privilege that most racers never get to live through. However, Charles chanced upon the experience in just his second season as a regular Formula 1 driver.

While describing that day in Monza in 2019, the Monegasque said, “It was the best day of my life, without a doubt!”

Now, 6 years have passed since Charles Leclerc became the “Prince of Monaco” who would rescue Ferrari from its long streak of losing Championships. However, he has not yet seen the face of a single F1 title win. Even though he got tantalizingly close to it in 2022, Leclerc still failed to surpass Max Verstappen and had to settle for the second spot in the Drivers’ World Championship. And in 2023, he ended up with a winless season thanks to the incredible dominance set up by Red Bull’s duo of Verstappen and Perez. But it looks like he might be back in winning form this year while heading into the Italian GP.

At the start of 2024, Leclerc and Sainz put up some great scores that placed Ferrari just behind Red Bull in terms of performance. Over time, those records fell apart as McLaren rose from the back and captured the Scuderia’s rank. However, the second half of the current season started with the Dutch GP, and there, Charles Leclerc seemed to be in flying form as he soared to P3 after starting from the sixth spot in Zandvoort. Given the raw pace that Leclerc’s SF-24 displayed, chances are he will continue with this level of performance when he goes to Ferrari’s home race in Monza next week.

At the post-race interview, Charles addressed the elephant in the room. He candidly spoke on his chances of winning the Monza race and giving the Tifosi golden flashbacks of 2019. Upon being asked if the fans can dream of another great performance from his, Formu1a.uno quoted the 26-year-old saying, “I don’t want to make them dream too much and then disappoint them […] After Friday in Monza [the circuit where the Italian GP takes place], I will tell you if Tifosi can dream or if it’s better to be cautious.”

Thus, Leclerc wants to be wary right now instead of dreaming of another 2019 Italian GP repeat—but why?

Charles Leclerc explains why winning in Monza might not be on the cards

When Charles drew up the 6th spot in the starting grid for the Dutch GP, fans never expected much from the Monegasque during the main race in Zandvoort. However, he gifted everyone a nice, little surprise by grabbing a podium as he improved upon his starting position. But the Monegasque had already said, after Saturday’s q, that getting a top-3 finish would be a miracle. So, he wants to stick to the narrative that his Dutch GP podium came as a miracle and he cannot get used to such surprises happening in every race.

Thus, Charles Leclerc explained why his Dutch GP results do not speak about what might happen in Monza.

He said, “Realistically, today was a good surprise. It doesn’t mean much for Monza because it’s two completely different circuits, but Saturday should be better than this one. We will also have upgrades—now I can say it as Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari’s Team Principal] told to the media already! I hope they can help us get closer.”

Indeed, while the Zandvoort circuit runs clockwise, has some banked turns, and does not allow too many overtakes, Monza has 11 turns, and promotes high-speed racing and overlaps too.

Basically, Charles Leclerc wants to stay away from counting his chickens before they are hatched!

So, he will not be giving hopes of an Italian GP win to the Tifosis yet—but do you think it’s possible?