Ferrari fans think Charles Leclerc’s ‘talent is wasted’ after witnessing ‘amazing’ unseen Monza moment

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Charles Leclerc went into the Italian Grand Prix defending his win from 2024, but even he knew it would be an uphill struggle for Ferrari.

Ferrari came into the race off the back of a double DNF in Zandvoort when Leclerc was crashed out by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which happened a few laps after Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the race after a mistake.

Leclerc was determined to score points at Ferrari’s home race in Monza, with the Monegasque getting close to pole during qualifying with a lap that was two tenths off the pace.

It was a solid race from Leclerc, but unseen video footage from the opening laps shows how it very nearly ended in another retirement. F1 fans reacted to the footage on social media website X (formerly Twitter).

Ferrari F1 fans react to ‘amazing’ Charles Leclerc save in the opening laps of Italian GP

Leclerc managed to finish in fourth place overall, despite overtaking Oscar Piastri in the opening corners.

Martin Brundle was impressed by Piastri’s comeback overtake that effectively consigned Leclerc to fourth, but there was a moment for the Ferrari driver in the opening laps.

Unseen footage depicts the Ferrari driver exiting the Ascari chicane and nearly losing control of his car, sliding his Ferrari before catching it and straightening for the run to Parabolica.

Fans reacting to the footage were impressed by Leclerc’s car control, with one commenting: “The SF-25 is sliding as if on ice.”

Another fan commented: “They talk a lot about Verstappen’s save at Zandvoort, but look at Leclerc’s on the Ascari variant. He’s a sick man.”

One fan commented: “My god, Charles was fighting that car for dear life,” while another wrote: “This is what he meant when he said he was doing a rally race.”

Another fan said: “His talent is wasted by Ferrari,” with another commenting: “Charles’s car looked so unstable.” Fans also noted Leclerc’s car control: “I mean he was fighting that car.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Loose gravel an issue at Monza during Italian Grand Prix weekend

While Leclerc’s impressive car control enabled him to continue, it’s not clear whether it was a problem with the drivability of his Ferrari or loose gravel.

Gravel from the Ascari run off was causing havoc throughout the weekend, with qualifying sessions being delayed and Virtual Safety Cars being thrown in the support races.

A car in the Formula 3 support race also spun on the loose gravel while fighting for the lead, with it being kicked up and strewn across the track by cars that ran wide.

Max Verstappen noted how it was like “driving on ice” when asked about the gravel after practice, in which the FIA red-flagged the session to conduct a track cleanup.