How Charles Leclerc Plans to Break His Monaco Curse and Claim Victory on Home Turf
Every motorsport fan knows that Charles Leclerc is immensely talented, but his luck in his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix, has been nothing short of abysmal. As the 2024 edition approaches, the Ferrari driver is more motivated than ever to rewrite history and claim his first win on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo.
A History of Heartbreak in Monaco
Leclerc's misfortunes at Monaco began back in his Formula 2 days. In 2017, he seemed off to a fantastic start by claiming pole position and leading the early stages of the Feature Race. However, a pit stop disaster dashed his hopes. His bad luck continued when he made his Formula 1 debut at the Monaco GP with a heartbreaking brake failure in 2018. The following year, 2019, was no better as he was eliminated in Q1 and then suffered terminal damage while battling through the field.
In 2021, the situation almost seemed to turn when Leclerc secured pole position. Unfortunately, a driveshaft issue from a crash in the previous day’s session prevented him from starting the race. His agony didn't end there. In 2022, a botched pit stop cost him a potential victory, and last season, a post-qualifying penalty for impeding Lando Norris ended his chances once again.
A New Hope in 2024
Despite these setbacks, Leclerc remains optimistic about his chances for the upcoming race. Speaking ahead of his sixth home event as an F1 driver, he emphasized the team's hard work and meticulous preparation. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Leclerc said. “We’ve always been competitive here, so I hope it will be just the same this weekend. The [end result] of the weekend hasn’t ever been the one I wanted, but we've worked a lot, and I hope that this weekend will be a good one.”
While his best finish at Monaco remains a fourth place in 2022, Leclerc is laser-focused on winning. When asked about the significance of even a podium finish in front of his home crowd, he candidly responded, “Not much, not much. I mean, second or third is not really something that excites me. The win is what we need to target.”
The Competitive Field
The current F1 season has seen Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren very close in qualifying pace. Leclerc acknowledges the importance of nailing the qualifying session in Monaco. “We’ve seen in the last few races that Red Bull, McLaren, and ourselves are pretty close in qualifying, and we know how important qualifying is here, so we’ll have to put everything together. If we are on pole then that will give us good chances to get what we want, which is a win,” Leclerc explained.
With four podium finishes from seven races this season, Leclerc is currently second in the drivers’ standings, trailing championship leader Max Verstappen by 48 points. Ferrari, too, is Red Bull’s nearest competitor in the constructors' battle, sitting 56 points behind.
Turning the Page
As Leclerc prepares for another shot at glory in Monaco, he's aware of the uncertainties that the unique circuit can bring. “I feel like in Monaco you always start a little bit from scratch. As much as what we’ve seen in the few races, I think it won’t be too different. There still can be some surprises; we’ve seen it in 2021, I think, with us, where we were nowhere but then we got to Monaco and our car was working very well.”
Looking ahead to the next weekend, Leclerc is in high spirits and cautiously optimistic. “We’ll have to see after Friday [practice] where we are compared to the others, but I would be surprised if we are not in the mix for pole at least.”
Whether his Monaco curse will finally be broken remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Charles Leclerc will be giving it his all to stand atop the podium on home soil.