Leclerc addresses Monza victory chances after Alonso prediction

Charles Leclerc has played down suggestions Ferrari is in contention for victory at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

Following the most recent round from Zandvoort, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso suggested the Maranello-based outfit would be the team to beat at Monza.

Ferrari enjoyed a strong race last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix after a disappointing qualifying, with Leclerc scoring a podium.

It followed up another podium he bagged in Belgium before the summer break, which he received post-race after George Russell was disqualified from the classification.

Having shown strong race form at the last two events, Leclerc asserted he is not letting it impact his forecast of the weekend ahead.

“I don't let the last two races change our expectations,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365. “We are in a difficult moment for the team, we are struggling a bit with pace at the moment.

“I think we understood quite a few things since Zandvoort, especially on what happened on Saturday when our performance was quite far from ideal.

“But on the Sunday, it was a good race. In Spa, it was good as well. Here it should be a bit more in the direction of Spa, so hopefully we will be a bit more in the fight for the podium.

“However, for the win, I don't think we quite have that yet.”

Leclerc backing low downforce package for form boost

Ferrari has traditionally competed well at Monza in the past, with Leclerc securing a famous victory - the second of his F1 career - in 2019.

Last year he narrowly missed out on a podium result to team-mate Carlos Sainz as Ferrari was unable to contest against the dominant Red Bull outfit.

The Italian squad will introduce upgrades at Monza this weekend in a bid to close the gap to the front of the field as Leclerc voiced confidence in the team's low-downforce package.

“I think we are in a better position than on a higher downforce track,” he said. 

“It should be a bit better - how much better is still to be seen. We'll also have some upgrades on the car, which should go in the right direction. 

“Hopefully, when we put everything together, we are closer than where we were in the last few races.”