The Monaco GP weekend is almost upon us, and Charles Leclerc will be under immense pressure to do well. Given it is his home race, the Monegasque driver will want to bury the ghosts of his past and come out triumphant. A taste of success came his way in a special virtual F1 event – something he would very much like to reciprocate when taking part in real-world racing.
Collaborating with EA Sports, F1 kicked off the Monaco GP weekend with the F1 24’s ‘The 10 Racers‘ event. The event pitched F1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon against fans of the sport in a race on the F1 24 video game. Celebrities and content creators took on the challenge, but it was Leclerc who had the last laugh (or cry).
Charles Leclerc gets emotional after taking pole position at the F1 24 The 10 Racers event. #F1 #Formula1 #MonacoGP #F124 #CharlesLeclerc pic.twitter.com/4rkWtAWut6
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) May 22, 2024
As the qualifying session of the virtual event came to an end, Leclerc held the lead and was able to achieve pole position. As the cameras turned to him, Leclerc was visibly emotional about achieving the feat despite it being a virtual scenario. Once racing began, the Monegasque driver was able to convert his pole position into a race win – something he would want to achieve in real life as well.
Over the years, Leclerc has had terrible luck in his home races. One or the other issue ensures that the 26-year-old doesn’t win the race, sometimes not even seeing the chequered flag.
To make matters worse, there has even been an incident when Leclerc had pole position in Monaco but was unable to start the race. Thus, the Ferrari driver now aims to start the race in Monaco from a “blank page.”
Charles Leclerc aiming to start afresh in Monaco
Since his F1 debut in 2018, Charles Leclerc has finished his home race only twice. The first of these finishes came in 2022, when a sure-shot victory became a P4 finish, thanks to a double stacking disasterclass by Ferrari. Then, in 2023, a rain-soaked race meant the #16 driver would have to be happy with a P6 finish.
Addressing the same, Leclerc conceded that Monaco hasn’t been the strongest of venues for him. However, he added that pace has always been a strong point for him in Monaco, and that gives him confidence for the upcoming race.
Furthermore, the 26-year-old detailed the importance of starting from scratch. Building from the ground level is essential to have a good weekend in Monaco, per Leclerc. “Monaco is so specific that we need to start a little bit from a blank page.” Racing on the roads that he used to take when going to school, Leclerc is confident he will turn his luck around this time.
