Ferrari hasn't been a title contender in some time, but Charles Leclerc is confident that will change. Until then, he's enjoying being an icon in Italy.

It's a story Charles Leclerc has told many times, but his eyes still light up at the memory. After winning Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix for the first time in 2019, the Ferrari driver ordered a taxi to take him to a celebratory dinner in Milan. As he settled into the back of the cab for the 30-minute journey, the driver asked him if he'd watched the race at Monza earlier the same day.

"Why, yes I did," Leclerc responded proudly. Barely acknowledging his passenger's reply, the taxi driver burst into a gushing monologue about the brilliance of Ferrari's new superstar driver, who he had proudly watch deliver Ferrari's first home victory since 2010. "For like 20 minutes he spoke to me about 'that young driver,'" Leclerc recalled. "He told me that the driver was incredibly talented, that he was bringing Ferrari back to the top, and that he had won for Italy -- and he was obviously speaking about me."

This weekend at Monza, Leclerc will experience the "craziness" of being a Ferrari driver at the Italian Grand Prix for an eighth time. His win at Monza in 2019 and again in 2024 remain the clear highlights, but the ultimate goal of a championship by the end of the season has proven elusive. "At Monza as a Ferrari driver, your week starts on the Monday rather than on a Wednesday at a normal race," Leclerc explains. "There's just a build-up to the grand prix that is like nowhere else."