5 Months After Ranting Out Against His Fans, Charles Leclerc Blames Drive to Survive for Invasion of His Privacy

Earlier this year, Charles Leclerc lashed out at his fans for disrupting his personal life. Somehow, his home address leaked to the public, and people started showing up at his front door, asking for selfies and autographs. Following the same, the Ferrari driver posted an Instagram story asking people to stop showing up at his house, urging them to respect his privacy. 5 months after that incident, Motorsport Italy reports the Monegasque driver blames Drive To Survive (DTS) as the reason behind the invasion of his privacy.

When Leclerc’s address mysteriously became public, people would gather beneath his apartment, continuously ring his doorbell and ask for autographs and selfies with him. This was of huge disruption for the Ferrari driver. His personal life was getting hindered. As a result, he put up a story on Instagram, asking people to refrain from coming to his house.

Since DTS premiered, the lives of all F1 drivers have taken a drastic turn. While they were already famous, the Netflix series boosted their popularity amongst the masses even more. While this does have its pros, it comes with several cons. The latter mostly revolves around certain fans who cross the line by invading the F1 stars’ personal lives.

Charles Leclerc feels DTS led to the invasion of his privacy

Speaking about the impact of DTS, Leclerc addressed the increase in popularity he has witnessed in front of his very own eyes since the series premiered in 2019. He spoke about how driving for Ferrari was always a dream of his, and the popularity that came with it was also something he desired. However, the Monegasque driver also blames DTS for playing a pivotal role in contributing to the invasion of his privacy.

“I believe that being recognized for what you have done is also part of the dream. And when it happens in the beginning, you’re like [Okay, that’s great!] because you finally get recognition for the hard work you’ve put into your career. Then you get to a point where you like it a little less, and maybe you start wishing you had some privacy, to have moments where no one knows who you are and what you’re doing, like when, for example, there are people who buzz you from the front door.”

Admittedly, there were several people who came out in support of Leclerc when he urged his fanbase to respect his privacy. People all over the world reposted his Instagram story, calling the people out who invaded his personal space.

It’s all about finding the positive balance for Leclerc

Standing high on the list of most marketable athletes in the world, Leclerc is amongst the most popular names on the F1 grid. The Ferrari driver boasts over 11.7 million followers on Instagram, with the count only going upwards. Given his strong challenge to Max Verstappen in the first half of the 2022 season, Leclerc saw a massive rise in popularity among the F1 fans. His demeanor has also helped him create an ever-supportive fanbase.

The fame that comes with the job is part of the description, says Leclerc. He adds if he were to put everything on the balance, the positives that come with being a professional F1 driver easily outweighs the negatives.