"Dreams do repeat themselves."
- pitwallstories
- Sep 3, 2024
- 4 min read
Everyone remembers when William Buxton once said that there are two religions in Italy, the catholic church and Ferrari.
And for those who live and breathe this sport, Ferrari truly is life.
Formula One is a sport of many teams and many people. To choose whom to support is not easy because everyone is special and has something unique that enriches the sport. But those who fight for Ferrari, those who don’t mind losing their voice screaming and crying of real and honest passion, those are the Tifosi. And we are known everywhere.
The blood that runs in the veins of the Tifosi is of the brightest shades of red. It’s the red that paints the walls in the Sala dei Campioni (the ‘Room of the Champions’ in Maranello), the most magical place for true supporters of this team. It’s the red that surrounds the prancing horse, the logo of this historic brand. But exactly as Buxton said, Ferrari is more than a brand, it is more than a car company.
For many, the Italian Scuderia is the origin of a sport that nowadays keeps everyone on their toes each Sunday. Ferrari is the backbone of Formula One. The home of the biggest names in Motorsport: Fangio, Lauda, Schumacher, Raikonnen, just to name a few.
It is a place that has been for many years now, also the home of a remarkable young man. Timid at first, skinny, not that tall. A boy from Monaco, a stranger to Italy and all its traditions.
His name is Charles Leclerc but soon enough he will be known as ‘Il Predestinato’.
He has grown up with stories coming from behind the wheel, people telling him all there is to know, the good and the bad, about Formula One. And he listened.. Oh, he listened.
Days spent at the karting track with his good friend and godfather Jules Bianchi, an angel sent on this earth to guide him on his journey. An angel, yes. Even if Jules is not with us anymore because of a twisted trick of fate, he was there with Charles, looking down at him. And he was smiling proudly.
Charles listened, as his father Hervé did everything he could to let him stay in this expensive world. All the sacrifices, all the sweat, tears and blood. Charles remembers it all. It’s the fire that fuels his passion. The names of all those who have been with him every step of the way. Especially those from the Scuderia, the same people who had helped him into the car when he was only a young boy and later helped him out of it, when he turned into a man.
Charles Leclerc has savored what it means to win on the home circuit of your team, of your family. He has experienced the goosebumps, the highs, the excitement of hearing your anthem playing as you stand on the highest step of the podium, looking down at a sea of red.
It happened to him, the year was 2019. He had just signed with Scuderia Ferrari a year before and his father had passed away not that long ago. Joy and grief, two sides of a coin that can be extremely helpful when what you need is motivation to continue. To go on. Because for Charles, life in Motorsport didn’t stop when he lost his best friend Jules Bianchi. It didn’t stop when his father died, believing a white lie. It didn’t stop when his good friend Antoine Hubert lost his life in Spa, the day before a race Charles was supposed to drive for the F1 category. A race he then drove wonderfully and won in his honor.
For Charles these ‘obstacles’ have only made him stronger and fueled his passion more and more. Today he drives for all those he lost and he dedicates his wins to every single person he had close in his life.
From 2019 onwards, Charles never saw the podium in Monza again. One disappointing Italian Grand Prix after the other. It seemed like the magic of that glorious day had faded and a new curse was set upon him.
Race after race, Charles Leclerc has driven with the same hope and determination to win. He’s dreamt of winning in Monaco for so long, it started to feel like something that could never be achieved by him. But he’s never lost hope, the Italian way.
Wise choice, to keep his hopes up and never give up because eventually the 2024 season of Formula One arrived and everything changed.
First the magical win in Monaco, his home turf, on the streets where he grew up and from where he used to watch the old races with his dad. Monaco, the home of his friends and family. A city that finally loved him back after many years of hard misses and letdowns.
And then, another day he will forever remember: September first, 2024. The race number 16 on the calendar, the same number he has on his beloved car.
Monza. What he considers his second home race. The home race of the team that has been more than a team to him. A second family, surely.
After a Saturday that could’ve certainly gone better, he starts proudly from the second row on the grid. But the fourth place is something written next to his name for a short period of time because after 'lights out', he flies up to the position of leader of the race.
The atmosphere in Monza was silent as he drove the last few turns, already seeing the finish line. Later though, only when things were clear, the biggest roar echoed in the Lombardy lands as thousands of Tifosi jumped up on their feet and screamed his name.
“Oh, how you make us dream!!” Were the words of his race engineer Bryan Bozzi. Words that perfectly sum up every Tifosi’s thoughts in that moment.
Charles has made us dream many many times before but today, the win in Monza is not a dream. It’s a reality. Something we can actually see and speak of. It’s not in our heads anymore, not built on promises and high hopes.
Charles won in Monza after winning in Monaco and that is certainly not a dream.
"Dreams do repeat themselves." - Charles Leclerc
Written by Fran
