Leclerc on battle with Hamilton at Monza: "He started to push me"

On Saturday, Formula 1 broadcasted the entire 2019 Italian Grand Prix on its YouTube and Twitch channels, with an interview with winner Charles Leclerc beforehand. The Monegasque remembered how difficult it was to keep the Mercedes cars at bay throughout the race.

Leclerc has only been driving at Ferrari for a year, but the youngster has rapidly developed into a favourite of the Tifosi. It helps, of course, that Leclerc speaks fluent Italian, something that has become rare among Ferrari drivers in recent decades, but more than anything, he is just very quick, and extremely driven to win.

The peak of his career so far was when he won the Italian Grand Prix after a long fight with both Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. While Sebastian Vettel had perhaps the worst race in his time at Ferrari, Leclerc was on the top step on the famous podium at Monza.

“It’s the first time in my career that I had so much pressure,” the two-time race winner said on the Formula 1's Instagram Live.

“You could really feel that the whole country, the whole of Italy is with you and behind Ferrari in general, and you can feel they absolutely want you to win.”

Leclerc was on pole position and had a good start, but he couldn't shake Bottas. Hamilton also appeared in Leclerc's mirrors after the pit stops, and the Monegasque had to defend very aggressively to keep the Brit behind him. The stewards gave Leclerc a warning after he seemed to move under braking at turn 4.

“I had Valtteri less than one second behind me for the whole race and then Lewis arrived towards the end and started to push me too.

“It was very difficult to stay focused and I could see the Italian fans cheering in the grandstands; I was trying to force myself not to watch the fans in the grandstands and keep watching the track.

“But when I finally won it was a relief, it was a really special feeling.”