Italian Grand Prix: Ferrari hopes to return to victory in front of the Monza fans

Of course, there will be the duel between Australian Oscar Piastri and Briton Lando Norris, the two McLaren drivers respectively first and second in the general classification. Obviously, we will have to keep a close eye on the performance of four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, the insatiable Dutchman who has been in search of victories for nearly four months. But as always at the Italian Grand Prix, in Monza, all the fans' eyes will be on the two red single-seaters bearing the Prancing Horse on Sunday, September 7 (from 3 p.m.).

In Lombardy, the Ferrari team feels right at home. And the tens of thousands of fans who flock to the century-old circuit are there to remind anyone unfortunate enough to forget. On their way north from Milan, many have surely made a pilgrimage-style stop at their favorite team's factory, located 200 kilometers from the "Temple of Speed," as Monza is nicknamed.

Everyone has a dream: to see one of the two Scuderia drivers raise their arms at the end of the 53-lap race. Last season, Charles Leclerc made their wish come true by taking an unexpected victory ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. "I didn't believe it would be possible for us to win... and in the end, we found ourselves on the top step of the podium," the Monegasque recalled during the week.

Unlikely, a Ferrari victory in 2025 would be even more so. Both Charles Leclerc and his teammate Lewis Hamilton are struggling this season. Neither has yet managed to return from a race weekend with the winner's trophy under their arm, and the recent Dutch Grand Prix wasn't exactly a confidence-boosting performance. At Zandvoort, neither driver saw the finish line: Leclerc crashed into the wall after a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes, while Hamilton needed no help to send his car careening after a driving error.

The 40-year-old Briton, a seven-time world champion, has made no secret of his spleen since joining Ferrari at the start of the year. With the exception of a victory in the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix in March, Sir Hamilton has never shown his new colours on the podium. He has even begun to doubt his own abilities. "I'm useless, absolutely useless. They should probably change drivers," lamented the Briton, who is not one to beat himself up, at the start of August after a qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix that ended in a pitiful ^12th place, while his teammate took pole position in Budapest.

Apparently, the air of Monza has put a smile back on his face. " I think back to when I was a kid and watched Michael (Schumacher) win here with Ferrari. Now I'm going to experience that and be cheered on by the fans. I want to give them everything I have this weekend to get the best possible result, because the passion and support they've given me is second to none." Not one to give away anything, Hamilton even said he would be willing to sacrifice his result if he could help his teammate by providing him with slipstream at some point in the race.

Qualifying fifth, just behind Leclerc, the former Mercedes driver will nevertheless have difficulty implementing his strategy. He was penalized five places on the starting grid for not slowing down enough during the grid laps at Zandvoort. "It also gives me more motivation and I already had a lot of it," he tried to be positive in the press conference, after once again praising the support of the tifosi.

His teammate is also motivated. But he knows he'll probably have to rely on race events to get the better of Max Verstappen – on pole position – or the two McLarens behind him at the start. "Knowing that I can't beat them, except in special circumstances, is frustrating... Unfortunately, I've had this feeling for a while."