Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc feel the 'pressure' of racing for Ferrari at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix is more of a "responsibility" to deliver. The Tifosi were overjoyed in qualifying as Sainz grabbed pole position by just 0.013s from Max Verstappen with Leclerc also within a tenth of his teammate in third. It has been a difficult season for Ferrari with an underwhelming and tricky car in the SF-23, but the track characteristics of Monza suit the strengths of the package. The duo agreed that racing for Ferrari at Monza was more of a "responsibility" to deliver while Leclerc also addressed the question of whether more pressure was put on Ferrari to deliver owing to the success it has enjoyed in Grand Prix racing.
Leclerc and Sainz on the Tifosi
"Unfair or fair, at the end [of the day] we are Ferrari so of course there's a lot of noise around the team and we need to deal with it," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365. "None of us are happy in the team of the performance we are showing at the moment, apart from [in qualifying] of course, where we are quite proud and happy. "But the rest of the season for now has been very difficult. We are also aware [of this] so it's normal that people are talking a lot about Ferrari, because Ferrari is Ferrari and because of all the history it has in the sport and now it's our duty to make everything in order to come back at the top. "Then for the pressure; me personally I don't feel more pressure coming here. It's just motivation. It's a long week for us; obviously we start already from Monday or Tuesday at the simulator and then we've got events in Milan and we feel so much support. "You can really feel how much it means to the whole country, this Grand Prix, and how much Ferrari means to them. So it is very special. You can feel the responsibility, but at the end [of the day] it's a lot more motivation than pressure." Sainz, who ensured back-to-back poles for the Scuderia at home after Leclerc in 2022, agreed with his teammate and the "sense of responsibility" felt. "I wouldn't call it pressure, I would call it a sense of responsibility and a sense of wanting to give this crowd and this country the best possible version of yourself, both off the track and on the track with your performance," he said. "Honestly I cannot be enjoying this weekend more than I've been enjoying it from the beginning and it's been like that for the last three years, since I'm a Ferrari driver. "I just cannot remember or cannot think about a better feeling than being a Ferrari driver in Monza, it's a dream come true, something that I'm sure I will remember for the rest of my life, to be going through these years of experience, feeling this, something that I consider myself extremely lucky to do."
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