There haven’t been many racing drivers from Monaco that have made it all the way to Formula One, only five in total. Only one of them, Charles Leclerc, has raced with the historic Ferrari team, who he will be hoping to close the gap at the top of the Drivers’ Championship this weekend in his home race around the streets of Monaco.
Speaking in the Thursday press conference, Leclerc spoke of how important the famous Monaco Grand Prix was to him:
“I mean, as good as last year and the years before, it’s always very special for me, because those are the streets where I’ve grown up. I know the city by heart, wherever I go on the track I’ve got some friends living right over the track and can see the race from their apartments. So, it’s very, very special for me.”
His previous races in Monaco haven’t ended in success, finishing only once in his Formula One career while racing around the Principality, but shut down the fact he was due a bit of luck:
“I do not believe too much in luck, but it’s true that when you see the records, it’s not always been easy on race day, but Saturday was good, which I hope we can reproduce a good performance this Saturday, with a better Sunday this time.”
With Red Bull appearing to be running away with both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships this season, Leclerc understands the challenge that he and Ferrari have, but believes that if everything falls into place, they cam beat them:
“I mean, honestly, I think Red Bull is still the team to beat. With a special lap, maybe we can beat them in Qualifying. In the race, they are extremely quick – but again on a track like this, overtaking is very difficult. So yeah. And not only Red Bull is quick: Aston Martin will be in the mix. Mercedes arrived with a very different-looking car, which I’m curious to see how it performs. And yeah, then we need to see where we are and what’s possible.