In this year’s Monaco race, Charles Leclerc led from start to finish, finally achieving a victory in his hometown after facing many challenges in the past. He had never even reached the podium in Monaco before.
As the race neared its end, with Leclerc facing pressure from Oscar Piastri, he admitted that it was hard to control his emotions. He had to remind himself to focus on driving in the last few laps before allowing himself to feel the joy of victory once he crossed the finish line.
Leclerc said, “It’s an amazing feeling. Until now, I’ve never said that it would be a victory like others and I’ve always said emotionally, it will have an added value. However, I did not expect it to be that much.”
He struggled to see clearly in the final laps because tears were welling up in his eyes. He had to tell himself to stay focused and finish the race. But once he crossed the finish line, he felt overwhelming joy.
Winning in Monaco was a childhood dream for Leclerc. His passion for racing came from this race, and he credited his father for supporting him throughout his journey. Having his family and friends there to witness his victory made it even more special.
The race also brought back memories of his father, who passed away in 2017, and his mentor Jules Bianchi, who died after a crash in 2014. Leclerc said he usually focuses only on driving during races, but in Monaco, he couldn’t help but think about them.
He confessed, “In other races, my mental focus is all on the driving, but today I really struggled to actually extract that and in the last 15 laps, it was just all of them in my head.”
Despite the emotional challenges, Leclerc expressed immense happiness and relief at finally winning in Monaco. He planned to celebrate the victory in grand style, acknowledging the significance of the moment.
