Racing in the home of the tifosi in Italy, around Monza, certainly means a lot to me. My first Formula 1 win came at this track in a Ferrari-powered car in 2008. This weekend, we are aiming to win again. I think we have got closer and closer in the past years, but we never quite made it. Looking at the track, it is very unique. You are racing with low downforce, you have got a lot of long straights and therefore it is difficult. The car is quite light and moves around a lot as we run with very small wings and that can make it difficult to find your braking points. Then there are the tight and narrow chicanes, where you have to know just how much kerb to use. It is not an easy one to set the car up for but if you manage it and you get the car in the right place, it’s a really good feeling when you find the rhythm.

We are celebrating 90 years of Scuderia Ferrari as well as the 90thedition of one of the most iconic races on the calendar, the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, this weekend. Since I was a child, I’ve dreamt of being part of the most famous team in Formula 1, so it will be very special to drive the red car at our home race for the first time. The circuit is famous not only for its long straights, but also for its corners, especially the two Lesmos and the Parabolica. Our straight-line speed has been one of the strengths of our car so far this season, and we will work hard to put everything together and extract the maximum around all parts of the track. We will give our best to make our tifosi proud and hopefully bring home a good result.

It’s time for our home Grand Prix and there can be no better way to come to Monza than as the winner of the last round in Spa-Francorchamps. It’s a great thank you to our fans who have given us so much support during what has been a far from easy season so far. Monza is a track where we run at very high average speeds, featuring long straights and heavy braking, running a low downforce package. This weekend, we plan to introduce our third power unit. We saw in Belgium that, in order to win, we must do everything to perfection and our aim is to do exactly that in Monza too. There will be no room for error. Our home race is always important, but that is especially true this time, as we are celebrating 90 years of Scuderia Ferrari. Racing in front of our home fans is always an extra boost and further motivation to do well. Apart from anything else, there is no podium quite like Monza and we think there is no better crowd than the Italian one.