Turrini: Winners [Ferrari] celebrate and the loser [McLaren] explains

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Whenever Ferrari wins in Formula 1, more so on home soil at Monza as Charles Leclerc did at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, it is always a treat to gauge media reaction in Italy.

After a masterclass of driving by Leckerc, spot-on and audacious strategy, and first-class servicing of the eventual winner by Ferrari, which launched a river of fans down the hallowed venue tarmac as they celebrated an unlikely victory on a remarkable and unforgettable day at Monza.

Those celebrations spill over onto Italian news, sports, and motorsport websites, including the obvious first port of call, which is always Italy’s Ferrari whisperer and F1 poet Leo Turrini. In his essential Profundo Rosso blog, typically he waxed lyrical about “Carletto’s” victory on Sunday: “In the last ten laps, I aged ten years. I thought I was going to die!

Yes, Leo tends to take Ferrari matters to heart. He continued: “Desperate times call for desperate measures. The next person who raises objections about Leclerc is done with me because there are things you can’t forget. The team’s work was also astonishing. Give Fred Vasseur what is Fred Vasseur’s, and let’s move on.

“And muchas gracias a Sainz. I’m happy about Hamilton’s arrival, but despite a lot of criticism, the Spaniard is a team player. I’m really excited, like I haven’t been for a long, long time about F1 stuff. And I’m so excited that I couldn’t care less about McLaren skirmishes. As a dear friend of mine says, the winner celebrates and the loser explains. Leclerc and Ferrari won, and I have nothing to explain.”

Ferrari win the Italian Grand Prix and WEC 6-Hours of COTA on the same Sunday

Several hours later, in the USA, Ferrari went on to win the World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of COTA. The AF Corse-run Ferrari Hypercar of Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Ferrari protege Robert Shwartzman claimed victory over a grid packed with full factory-backed entries.

The next day Turrini ‘penned’ the following: “I invite my Ferrari brothers to mark the date. I think it has never happened before: a car manufacturer wins an F1 GP (and what a GP: Monza!) and a round of the closed-wheel world championship (6 Hours of Austin or whatever the hell it’s called) on the same day.

“I would add that this season the cars from Maranello have triumphed in Monza, Monte Carlo, and Le Mans. Maybe we should all reflect (quorum ego) on John Elkann’s alleged total disinterest in racing. Maybe there’s something that doesn’t add up, in the traditional vulgate.”

Turrini clears up criticism of Ferrari boss Fred Vaaseur

Turrini reverted to the F1 victory on Sunday at Monza: “Leclerc did a masterpiece in Monza. Then maybe in Baku he blows it, but recognising the merits of those you don’t admire is a sign of lucidity. It’s as if I hadn’t complimented Vasseur because I criticised him sometimes. Come on.

“I’m someone who thinks Verstappen and Hamilton are formidable, but maybe you live on Mars. Do you think Lewis and Max would have won so much without a dominant car? It was Mercedes and it was Red Bull,” ventured Turrini, referencing a previous gripe that Leclerc has not been given a regular winning car this season under Vasseur’s second year in charge.

For the record, Leclerc’s victory on Sunday in Italy, his second at Manza and his seventh F1 career victory, Ferrari’s 246th Grand Prix win, and the great team’s 20th victory in front of Tifosi at the venue.

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