David Coulthard saw Charles Leclerc do something at Monza that suggests he never wants to leave Ferrari

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was unable to repeat last year’s heroics at the Italian Grand Prix.

Last season, Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, but an incredible first lap, combined with an impressive one-stop strategy, earned him an unlikely win ahead of both McLaren drivers, sending the Tifosi wild.

Ferrari were on an upward trajectory at that point in the season, and Leclerc would go on to score more points than Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the final third of the 2024 campaign.

This year, Ferrari are still second to McLaren in the constructors’ championship, but the gap is exponentially larger.

McLaren are about to wrap up the team championship, and Fred Vasseur’s team have yet to record a Grand Prix victory this season, with Lewis Hamilton’s win in the Sprint Race in China a distant memory.

Leclerc qualified fourth again, and while he briefly ran in front of Oscar Piastri, he was unable to repeat his heroics from last season.

Before the race, Leclerc suggested it would be ‘wonderful’ to win again in front of Ferrari’s fans at Monza; however, even though he didn’t feature on the podium this time, David Coulthard saw something from the Monegasque driver that highlights how much he loves the team.

READ MORE: Best moments of Charles Leclerc’s F1 career, including first pole, podium, win, title and more

David Coulthard lauds how much Charles Leclerc loves Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix

Coulthard was analysing the race for Channel 4 and was looking back on Leclerc’s performance.

He explained: “Yeah, look, he was feisty in Zandvoort a week before. He was feisty here.

“And in the end, he wasn’t able to convert anything other than fourth place to fourth place.

“But he again showed the Tifosi his passion for the team and desire to want to deliver”

Leclerc is signed up to a long-term deal with Ferrari, whereas Hamilton’s current deal only runs until the end of next season.

Hamilton controls a clause in his Ferrari contract that could extend his stay by a further year, but the Monegasque driver is expected to be working at Maranello for longer than the seven-time world champion.

READ MORE: Ranking the top 10 Ferrari F1 drivers of all time, including Michael Schumacher vs Fernando Alonso

Charles Leclerc ‘gave it my all’ as Ferrari miss out on iconic Italian Grand Prix podium

Speaking in his post-race interview after Monza, Leclerc explained: “I gave it my all. I tried to hold on to P3 after overtaking at the start, but I lost grip with my tyres overheating and struggled to keep Oscar behind.

“In the end, we just didn’t find the pace to fight for the win today, but at the same time, we maximised our result and didn’t leave anything on the table.

“Monza is always a special race for us. The incredible amount of support from our tifosi means so much to us, and we’ll give everything to be back on the top step of the podium next year and make them proud.”

Leclerc and Hamilton have eight more chances to win a race before the end of the season.

It’s hard to look past McLaren given their advantage at most circuits, and when they’re not at their best, Max Verstappen and George Russell are there to pick up the pieces.

Hamilton and Leclerc received huge ovations from the Tifosi, and it’s hard to imagine how they would have reacted if either driver had won.

It’s an experience both drivers will hope Ferrari can deliver when the 2026 regulation changes are introduced next year.