Charles Leclerc Putting on a Show for Public? Expert Lens Analyzes ‘Hollywood’ Lie

The Italian GP saw Max Verstappen create a historic record of ten consecutive wins in F1. While it was the major talking point after the race, the battle between the two Ferraris also created a buzz within the sport’s realm. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz engaged in a heated battle on the track, with the latter emerging as the winner. Once the race was over, both drivers went back to being all pally with one another, giving way to rumors about the Monegasque driver pretending to be okay. While in conversation with Sky Sports F1, former world champ Nico Rosberg weighed in with his opinion about the same.

Whenever F1 heads over to the Temple of Speed, Leclerc receives a hero’s welcome. Fans always have high hopes for the Monegasque, but this time, it was his teammate who had them fired up. Not only did Sainz out-qualify Leclerc with the help of two slipstreams, but he also denied Verstappen the P1 in qualifying, much to the delight of the Tifosi. Sainz eventually grabbed his first podium of the season by finishing 0.184 seconds before Leclerc.

Leclerc couldn’t have been to happy after the race, especially with such a small margin between him and a P3 finish. However, given the intensity of their battle, had the race raged on, it might have ended in disaster for the Italian team.

Nico Rosberg analyzes Charles Leclerc after the Monza GP

Recalling his experiences with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg drew parallels with Leclerc’s statements after the Italian GP. The German former driver stated that while he, too, claimed he had “fun” battling with Hamilton, deep down, it was always hurtful to lose to a teammate. He further wondered whether the Monegasque was being genuine or whether he was “pulling a Nico.”

“I remember myself in Bahrain. I said after the race, ‘Wow, that was the most fun I’ve ever had in a racing car.’ But actually, the truth was I was seriously angry.”

“We have to, as race drivers, be a bit of Hollywood, you know. You can’t always say the truth.”

“Charles is sitting there and saying, ‘Yeah, that was super fun.’ I was like, ‘Is this now genuine, or is he pulling a Nico?'”

Rosberg added there was a possibility of Leclerc being genuine about his feelings, but he believes he’s being “too nice” about it all. Especially because Sainz seems like he’s being favored by the Maranello-based outfit, given his performances since the restart of the season.

Leclerc v Sainz reminded Wolff of Mercedes’ past

After the Italian GP, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff shared his thoughts on the Ferrari drivers’ performance on the day. While he claimed it was a great spectacle for the Tifosi, Wolff couldn’t help but remember his team’s past. Wolff claimed he saw images of the Hamilton-Rosberg era flash in front of him while seeing the Ferrari duo battle each other. He later expressed elation at Ferrari getting a podium finish in their home race and praised the Monza crowd for producing an electric atmosphere.

How racing should be, tough but fair 🫡 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1

pic.twitter.com/f0XBxljprA

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 3, 2023

Wolff, however, would not be happy with his team’s finish in Monza as they had high hopes going into the race weekend. After an arduous battle with Sergio Perez, George Russell finished P5. Hamilton battled with the two McLaren’s and Williams’ Alex Albon to finish P6 in Monza. While others may be happy with a P5 and P6 finish, Wolff made it clear it wasn’t his team’s goal. The team principal now hopes his team can outperform Ferrari when racing starts in Singapore.

About the author

Naman Gopal Srivastava

Naman is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. Initially a football fanatic who worships Puyol and Leo Messi, Naman soon fell in love with the world of F1 upon reading about Jim Clarke. While the current era drivers do fascinate him, Naman still chooses to idolize Clarke and Ayrton Senna. When he is not busy watching the highlights of some of the greatest races of his idols, Naman can be found scribbling little snippets in his diary of poems or out in the town, exploring new places to eat.

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