Charles Leclerc: a Monegasque in
Formula 1

Precocious and exceptionally gifted, Charles Leclerc began his Formula 1 career at the age of just 21. A portrait of the young Monegasque prodigy.

A land of rallying since 1911 when the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo was introduced, and the country which has hosted one of the best-known Formula 1 Grand Prix events since 1929, the Principality of Monaco has inspired generations of racing drivers.

Today, Charles Leclerc occupies a special place among them. Raised in Monaco, he has watched as, year after year, his city is transformed into a paddock, the streets becoming a track, the pavements into terraces. As a wide-eyed spectator behind the safety barriers, the young Charles was already imagining himself carving his own path around the winding Monegasque circuit.

In 2019, he became the first Monegasque driver to secure a pole position, to lead a race and to set a lap record. With his second race for Ferrari in Bahrain, he became the second Monegasque (after Louis Chiron in 1950) to reach the podium. At just 21, he becomes the youngest driver to win a race with Ferrari in Spa, and the third youngest in F1 history (after Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel).

Having been very close to Jules Bianchi, the Formula 1 driver from Nice, when he was younger, Charles Leclerc lost a godfather, role model and friend when Bianchi suffered a fatal accident during the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014.

Congratulations to @Charles_Leclerc ?? for his magnificent first victory! Here’s to many more. ?

© @Eurosport_UK #BelgiumGP #f1 #monaconow pic.twitter.com/KsbyX1wTYJ

— MonacoNow (@Monaco_Now_) September 1, 2019