Charles Leclerc admits the Monaco Grand Prix would still be his favourite race even if he wasn’t Monegasque.
While most drivers live in the Principality, Leclerc is only the fourth Monaco native to compete in Formula 1 and the only one to win a world championship race, although Louis Chiron did win 21 Grands Prix before 1950.
Leclerc’s record at his home race though is dreadful, having failed to finish a race both in F2 and F1, but that hasn’t dimmed his love for the iconic street circuit.
“We are not yet where we want to be, but I am really looking forward to Monaco,” he said this week.
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“Obviously, it is a very special weekend for me, a weekend where I have not been very lucky in the past so I hope we can have a good weekend as a team.
“I love to drive at the limit of the car without ever being able to go beyond it because of the walls, you have no right to make mistakes.
“That’s the challenge I like as a driver and that’s why Monaco has such a special place in my heart,” Leclerc explained.
“Even if I wasn’t a Monegasque, Monaco would still be my favourite track. The feeling for the driver when he drives at full speed in this city is incredible. I love it.”
For this weekend, Leclerc also has his own grandstand at the track.
“I am very happy. It’s the first time I’ll have a grandstand in my name,” he said. “To be here in Monaco, at home, and to know that there will be fans, that makes me happy.
“The Charles Leclerc Grandstand means a lot to me. As a child, I used to watch the Grand Prix, hoping one day to be in Formula 1. Years later, I’m there, with Ferrari no less, and with a grandstand in my name and people who support me!
“It’s been over a year and a half since we’ve had anyone at the circuit and, although I’m doing what I love and I’m very lucky to be travelling in a situation like this, it’ll be nice to have some supportive people in the stands again. It gives us hope that we will be back to normal very soon.”
Ferrari has made solid gains this season, battling with McLaren for third best team, and based on a traditional indicator for performance around the unique Monaco track, the signs for positive.
“Looking at the third sector in Spain, we were quite competitive there,” Charles noted.
“Of course, it is different but we seem to have a strong car so hopefully we can be competitive at home and have a good result.”
As for whether Leclerc could challenge for the podium or higher in Monte Carlo though, he is doubtful as he feels the cars, not the drivers, are now too dominant in determining performance.
“I think that was the case at one time, it is still a bit the case today but, unfortunately, there are so many differences and the drivers are so well prepared for circuits like Monaco,” he told Codesport Monaco.
“The driver can of course make up two or three tenths, but when you talk about the gaps between Red Bull, Mercedes and the others, it is very complicated for us to make the difference.
“Especially as it’s not as if there are two bad drivers in each of these teams! Lewis [Hamilton] and Max [Verstappen] are still in better cars. But you never know. In qualifying, everything is decided on one lap. I’ll give it my all and hope to get a good result.
“But let’s be realistic: if Mercedes and Red Bull don’t have any problems, it will be very difficult to challenge them.”