Month: May 2025

With the Monaco Grand Prix just days away and the Principality transforming into a high-speed stage, Charles Leclerc – coming off a challenging start to the 2025 season – speaks candidly about Ferrari’s performance struggles, the pressure of racing at home, the impact of having Lewis Hamilton now on the other side of the garage, and how this year’s newly introduced two-stop rule could finally bring fresh unpredictability to Sunday’s race.

As F1 team trucks rolled into position along Quai Antoine Ier and ACM officials worked to manage the logistical whirlwind of Grand Prix set-up, local media, including Monaco Life‘s Cassandra Tanti, gathered at Marius on Wednesday 21st May for the annual press session – a rare chance for Monaco’s own to ask Leclerc about everything from this season’s technical frustrations to the emotional weight of competing on streets he’s known since childhood.

Monaco’s most recognised sportsman sat down to reflect on a season yet to ignite, and the one race where it still might. One year on from his long-awaited home victory, Charles Leclerc says the pressure has shifted, but not disappeared.

“The podium doesn’t really make me dream,” he admits. “If I visualise anything, it’s winning.”

Q: You’ve arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix with 61 points and a single podium in Jeddah—how would you evaluate your start to the season so far?

A: Honestly, it’s bad. Let’s not beat around the bush—we’re not at all satisfied with the car’s performance at this point. Last year, we ended the season fighting for the Constructors’ Championship. We had a real desire to try and go for the title this year. But when we started the first few races, we realised pretty quickly that unfortunately, the car wasn’t up to the task. 

Still, it’s a point of motivation. It hasn’t demotivated us—we’re pushing hard to try and recover the performance we’ve lost, especially compared to Red Bull, and even Mercedes has come back a bit. They’re a bit more inconsistent. But it’s our duty to try to improve the car and get back to the top so we can fight for victories.

It’ll be your seventh Monaco Grand Prix, but your first as the defending winner. What’s changed for you? Do you feel a weight lifted? And when you think back to that 2024 Grand Prix, what moment stands out the most?

There are definitely images that come to mind. Maybe the strongest one is when I jumped into the harbour with Fred—it was something we had talked about for years. Since my first year in Formula 1, we said if I scored points in Monaco, we’d jump into the port. And it turned out it was for my first win with Ferrari, so it was a really special moment.

Other than that, there’s no particular pressure or feeling of relief. I’d say the biggest change is with the media—maybe they’ll be a bit more positive than in past years. Because unfortunately, they’re always talking about my “bad luck” , when things went against us in previous years. We were so close to the goal so many times and couldn’t make it happen. So I’m expecting a more positive grand prix.

Unfortunately, this track highlights the weaknesses of our car, so on paper it’ll be a difficult circuit. But with Monaco, you never know. I hope to reproduce the same result as last year.

Since your debut in Formula 1, have you noticed changes in Monaco, especially in terms of your popularity? Is it harder for you to get around? Are you more in demand?

Yes, for sure. My first year in F1 was pretty calm. Then, Drive to Survive on Netflix launched, and that really blew up Formula 1—not just in Monaco, but everywhere, especially in the US and among younger audiences.

In Monaco, it’s a bit harder for me than before, but honestly, it remains one of the places in the world where I feel most at peace. It’s always nice to come home. Of course, there are moments when it’s more difficult—this weekend will be very demanding. But it’s part of the job.

Given how the first part of the season has gone, do you let yourself imagine being on the podium here in Monaco, or is that not really on your mind?

If I visualise anything, it’s winning. The podium isn’t really my dream. But once again, we have to be realistic. Right now, the car hasn’t had the pace in slow corners, and that’s what Monaco is all about. So I’m expecting a tough weekend. But Monaco is so special and unique that maybe we’ll find something we haven’t discovered yet in the car, something that works really well here. I really hope so, because even though the points are the same as every other race, emotionally speaking, Monaco is different. And I hope we can experience something great again.

You’re one of the fastest over a single lap. How are you handling the difficulties this season, especially with qualifying? 

It’s tough—not just in qualifying but also in the race. When we execute everything perfectly and still finish third, fourth, or fifth, while last year doing everything perfectly could lead to a win, it’s more frustrating. But that’s part of the job. Some seasons start off great; others you have to work to reach the top. That’s also what keeps me motivated—to bring Ferrari back to the top. Of course, I’d have preferred a stronger start to the season.

How does the new two pit stop rule in Monaco change your usual game plan, especially since one-stop strategies used to be the norm? Do you think it’ll shake things up and add some unpredictability to the race?

Yeah, I think it’s going to be interesting. It’ll add a key moment to the race. We’ll probably see some very unique strategies in Monaco—ones you don’t see anywhere else. That will bring something fresh.

Because it’s true that until now, Saturday has been extremely important. It’s by far the best qualifying session of the year because of the adrenaline and the level of precision you need on the streets of Monaco. That’s something unique to this circuit.

But it’s also true that Sundays have been harder in terms of on-track action. So the fact that there are now two mandatory pit stops—well, I hope it’ll help the race. Maybe it’ll create more opportunities, maybe some surprises. That’s what we need to bring back some excitement to Sunday. 

See more: FIA confirms new mandatory double pit stop rule to spice up Monaco Grand Prix

You’ve had three pole positions in Monaco in the last four years. Apart from the year with Sauber and your first season, you’ve never qualified lower than P3 here. What do you attribute this consistency and speed to on a track like this?

I’m not totally sure. I just love street circuits in general. It’s not just Monaco—it’s the same in Baku, Singapore… those are tracks I really enjoy. When there are barriers, you can take more risks as a driver. Often it pays off, but if it doesn’t, you end up in the wall. That’s the kind of challenge I really like.

Especially in qualifying, you can really make the difference as a driver. I hope I can do that again this year. With the barriers and the level of risk you can take in qualifying, you can pull off something special. That’s what I like.

The arrival of Lewis Hamilton caused a stir at Ferrari. What has changed for you personally? Do you feel less pressure, or maybe more?

Honestly, nothing has changed for me. It’s an incredible opportunity. Like I’ve said, he’s one of the legends of Formula 1. So it’s a huge chance for me to learn from Lewis, but also to show what I’m capable of alongside him in the same car.

As for all the buzz and attention around Lewis and Ferrari—it’s not something that bothers me. I was off doing a silent retreat in the Dolomites with no phone signal, so I didn’t really follow all that. And once you’re on the track, it doesn’t change anything.

What kind of teammate is Lewis Hamilton? What exactly have you learned so far?

Discipline and the way he works. It’s different for each driver. Carlos was a hard worker too, but Lewis works in a different way. It’s super interesting to see the team dynamics—how he manages feedback, how he communicates about the car’s development, etc. That’s always something useful for any driver: analysing how your teammate works with his engineers.

And of course, he’s incredibly talented. He does things with the car that are really interesting—things I can sometimes apply during races, depending on the situation. What’s surprising is that we actually drive in quite a similar way.

To turn your season around in the championship, do you feel you need to focus on qualifying first? And is there any specific reason behind these struggles?

Yes, clearly. Qualifying is the key to success this year. If we don’t qualify well, it becomes very difficult, because even though our race pace is decent, it’s not enough compared to McLaren or Red Bull.

We’re very close in race pace. But if we don’t start ahead of them, overtaking is really hard, because everyone’s race performance is so similar. On top of that, we often start too far back, and that always costs us time in the first stint. So yeah, that’s where we’re losing the most.

As for the solution—I don’t have it. If I did, we would’ve already fixed it. But we’re working hard. We’ve been doing a lot of simulator work to try to understand and solve it. There are some interesting ideas, but in Formula 1, things take time.

Last year, you documented your journey before and after your Monaco Grand Prix win in a vlog, which you published on your YouTube channel. Have you gone back and watched those emotional moments yourself? And can we expect another behind-the-scenes video after this year’s Monaco Grand Prix?

Not really, no. I’ve got someone on my team who follows me all year and films everything, and he creates those videos. But for me, they’re moments I live in the present. They’re documented for others, and I’m not a big fan of watching myself on TV.

I did watch the qualifying lap, yes—I focused more on the technical aspects. But in terms of the emotional side of the race, no, I don’t watch it.

After your victory last year, Frédéric Vasseur said: “There will be a Charles before and after Monaco.” In what way did that long-awaited success here change you as a driver?

I’m not sure I completely agree with Fred. But yeah, of course, winning in Monaco gives you a certain confidence. It’s not just any race—it’s Monaco. Winning a Grand Prix, in general, gives you confidence. But winning here, where the driver can really make the difference, and finally converting on Sunday after so many missed opportunities in the past—it felt really, really good.

It also allowed me to turn a page. Like I said earlier, there were always negative questions and comments from the press about the past—how close we’d come, how we hadn’t converted. It made it harder to stay in the zone and concentrate.

So yeah, in that sense, it will definitely help for this year. But I think the real shift in mindset came after my first career win in Formula 1. That’s when you finally tell yourself, “Okay, I can actually win a race.” Before that, you have doubts. But once you’ve done it, you know it’s possible. Winning in Monaco was just pure happiness.

The start of the season didn’t live up to expectations. Given your current position in the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, what can you realistically hope for this season? What could 2025 look like?

Honestly, I haven’t thought much about it. It’s hard for me to say that finishing 4th or 3rd would be a “great” season. I don’t think so. I still believe we can do better. I’ll believe that until the very end.

And we’ve seen how quickly things can change—at the beginning of the season, Red Bull was absolutely dominant for the first seven races. Then McLaren came back strong. I hope we can have that kind of rebound too. I’m not sure if that’s the right word—”rebound”—but I hope we can turn things around starting from Barcelona.

Next week there will be a change in front wing regulations. We’ve worked a lot on that. We think it should be positive for us. To what extent, we don’t know yet. So until then, we need to score as many points as possible and hang on.

This will be the last year you will be driving these kind of cars. With the 2026 regulations promising a shift towards more sustainable and hybrid technology, how do you personally envision adapting to a car that might be fundamentally different from what you’re driving today?

Sustainability is obviously super important. Formula 1 has always been a pioneer in tech, and they’re proving that again with the new technologies and the new fuel coming next year.

In terms of driving, it’s going to be very different. But it’s hard to say exactly how, because we’re still in the early stages of development for those cars. I’ve done a few laps in the simulator, but nothing in-depth yet.

What’s certain is that the driving will change a lot. We’ll have to adapt to these new cars, especially with the active aerodynamics—that’ll be a big change for Formula 1. There are going to be a lot of changes, and they’ll have a big impact on how we drive.

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Main photo of Charles Leclerc at Wednesday’s press conference sourced from Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre