Charles Leclerc has not ruled out the possibility of Ferrari springing a major upset at the Italian Grand Prix, despite a 'season-worst' performance in the Netherlands.
Ferrari posted a double DNF at Zandvoort after Lewis Hamilton crashed by himself and Leclerc was taken out by Kimi Antonelli, both at Turn 3 after what Leclerc had called the 'worst Friday of the season.'
The team regrouped slightly for qualifying and was looking set for a strong double points finish before the incidents, with the team on the back foot heading to its home race at Monza.
Leclerc is the defending race-winner at Monza, having pulled off a surprise win in the 2024 race with a one-stop strategy against the two-stopping McLarens, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris expected to dominate once again this weekend.
However, despite coming off what he described as the worst Friday practice the team had endured, Leclerc did not rule out a shock Monza repeat.
"We can see positives in every situation, but I'd rather look at it as a very, very disappointing weekend," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365.
"We were struggling from FP1 to qualifying, and the race was better, but especially after the holidays, to have a Friday like we had, we cannot afford to have any other Friday like that because it definitely has an influence on the rest of the weekend.
"This track has everything our cars hate, so I think Monza will be a more positive track, but whether we can target a win, I don't think so, because McLaren will be incredible there.
"But never say never, I mean, last year, I would never have thought we could fight for a win."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the Dutch GP but also look ahead to Monza! Lewis Hamilton's huge grid penalty is a lead discussion, as is the mountain Lando Norris now faces in the F1 drivers' title fight.
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