Ferrari spend extra resources for Monza, claims Jock Clear

Ferrari senior performance engineer Jock Clear has explained how important the Italian Grand Prix is for the Maranello-based outfit, revealing that the Scuderia usually spends extra time and resources to go well on home turf.

Ferrari looked strong all through the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix, but Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz only qualified fourth and fifth on the grid, having missed the crucial final tenth of a second to be in contention for pole position.

Although Leclerc had a masterful start and executed an ambitious move on McLaren's Lando Norris on the first lap to move himself up into second place, Oscar Piastri initially looked in control of the victory. But McLaren made an unexpected decision to call the Australian in for a second stop while Ferrari elected to pursue an aggressive one-stop strategy with both its drivers.

McLaren's strategy sent Leclerc into the lead, and with the Monégasque having mastered his tyres during an extremely long stint, the Ferrari driver took an emotional victory in front of the Scuderia's passionate Tifosi.

Elaboration on the importance of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari senior performance engineer Jock Clear has revealed that the Scuderia always sacrifices additional resources for the Monza round.

“For Ferrari, Monza is one of the most important tracks. It’s undeniable that we spend extra time trying to gain an advantage on this circuit, which doesn’t like drag but loves downforce in the corners.

"So, it’s difficult to find a balance, you can’t just reduce the drag to the maximum or you’ll lose speed in the corners. We are confident, given the result, that we got the balance right.

"You’ll never get exactly what you want because the goals are always ambitious, but Monza comes close to perfection. We saw a beautiful car, and we saw the drivers having fun here,” the Briton explained.