After Tuesday’s shakedown run at Fiorano, Charles Leclerc ventured out – as is the tradition – to meet a group of Tifosi that had assembled behind the fences to witness the track debut of Ferrari’s SF-24 charger.
For the Monegasque, beyond the autographs and selfies, the encounter was another reminder of a shared dream.
Since Kimi Raikkonen's triumphant 2007 season, the Prancing Horse has been tantalisingly close yet agonizingly out of reach of the ultimate prize. Drivers like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel shouldered the expectations, but the dream remained elusive.
The road ahead is long and arduous. Rivals stand guard, formidable obstacles on the path to the ultimate prize.
But as Leclerc steps onto the grid, the cheers of the tifosi will propel him forward, a constant reminder that he carries not just the weight of his own talent, but the collective hope of an entire nation yearning for a return to the pinnacle of motorsport.
And perhaps, just perhaps, this season, the dream will finally become reality.
