Although Charles Leclerc is wallowing in the competitiveness of the Ferrari F1-75, but he is wary of the "crazy" pressure that the sport's greatest team will experience on home soil, at this weekend's 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Imola is a stone's throw away from Maranello, and now with two wins out of three races, Tifosi expectations are high and a full-house at the hallowed venue is expected as the Reds start the race as outright favourites, leading both championships at this early stage.
Fresh from his potent victory at the Australian Grand Prix, it is clear Leclerc is making the most of the package, inspired by the fact that he should be a victory contender for the foreseeable future, something he has never experienced in his F1 career.
Leclerc admitted: "It is a very strong car for sure. I think until now it's fitting my driving well. I understood the car very early in the season and I think that is helping me for now. This has been a good surprise. But yeah, we need to keep pushing obviously. For now, it's going extremely well.”
He is also more than aware that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be special but also a pressure cooker of commitments and media attention for their home race: “There are a lot of things that will be quite crazy at Imola for us."
Imola is the first Sprint Race weekend format of the 2022 F1 season
“Obviously, other than that, it will also be a race weekend where we'll have a Sprint Race. Whether it's the right track to do it or not, I don't know. I think we'll have the answer after the weekend.
“I'm pretty sure there's a lot of excitement but we also need to make sure, as a team, that we don't try and overdo things, because there will be a lot of expectations as always. We need to stay calm," added Leclerc.
The Monegasque leads the championship after three rounds, Mercedes are out at sea with a troublesome car, while Red Bull have a car with race-winning pace, but Max Verstappen has two DNFs to his name; as a preseason favourite the reigning F1 World champion is already n the back foot defending his F1 title.
Leclerc's other rival for the 2022 F1 title is obviously Carlos Sainz in the sister car. In his first year at Ferrari, the feisty Spaniard beat his teammate in the Championship but this year, the Monegasque has raised his game and his teammate has been found wanting.
Nevertheless, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto insists there are no team orders at this early stage of the championship race despite Leclerc enjoying a 38 points lead over Sainz.
Coulthard: I had a little bit of a shiver actually, a flashback to when Michael
Former F1 driver David Coulthard has been impressed by Leclerc's renaissance in the wake of a couple of torrid, biding time two seasons, but with a winning car the Scot has been super impressed by what he has seen.
Coulthard told Channel 4: "I had a little bit of a shiver actually, a flashback to when Michael was dominant in the Ferrari. All my fears came back again! We've got to acknowledge that Leclerc is a quality driver and a great human being."
As for Ferrari's newly found form, Coulthard was full of praise: "Ferrari has worked hard and Mattia Binotto has been such a cool character under all the pressure of the lack of performance over the last two years."
On the other hand, Sainz, who may have endured some bad luck but mistakes have also cost him, Coulthard said: "He knows he's really got it wrong, he was driving angry and it was one mistake after another.
"He's under pressure because the guy you've got to beat is the guy who's got the winning car. It's fine when you're playing it out as teammates in the mid-grid, it's all for the greater good.
"But, right now, his future, the dream of having a world championship-winning car is in his hands, and his teammate has picked it up and gone: This suits me like a glove," ventured Coulthard.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend is the first using the Sprint Race format, with FP1 on Friday followed by Qualifying later in the day; Saturday starts with FP2 followed by the Spint Race in the afternoon, with the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Final word to Leclerc: "We are only at the third race so it’s difficult to think about the championship, but to be honest, we’ve got a very strong car. A very reliable car too and for now, we’ve always been there.
"I hope it continues like this and if it does, we probably have chances for the championship, which obviously makes me smile after the last two years that have been difficult for the team and obviously for myself.
"So, it’s great to be back in this position," concluded Leclerc.
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