Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will carry the hopes of all the Monegasques on his shoulders this weekend as he competes in his home race. Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Prince Albert II opened up on the expectations he has from the 25-year-old.
While speaking to former Red Bull driver David Coulthard, Albert said, “We are hoping that one day he will not only win here in Monaco, but he will win the big title. I am sure his time will come“.
The Prince of Monaco then went on to praise Leclerc by adding, “I have been following him since he was 14, since he won his first titles in go kart racing. He is a wonderful young man, great values, great personality“.
Can Charles Leclerc break the Monaco GP curse?
Considering that Prince Albert II himself has heaped praise on Charles Leclerc, the expectations from the Ferrari driver are certainly very high. And hence, all eyes will be on him this weekend to see what kind of a performance he can deliver.
While the Monegasque has been quite strong at his home Grand Prix, he has had terrible luck. Despite competing on five occasions (in both F1 and F2), he has just completed one race.
In the other four races, he has either had a DNS or a DNF. And more importantly even in the race that he finished fourth last season, it is important to note that he led most of it.
It was only a pit stop error from Ferrari that cost him the race win. Because Leclerc’s luck has been so terrible in Monaco, many people believe that he is cursed.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is confident of challenging the Red Bulls
Red Bull have proven to be the team to beat this season as they have won all the five races that have taken place so far. Reigning Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has won three while his teammate Sergio Perez has won the other two.
Even though the Milton Keynes outfit have had such a flying start, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is confident that his two drivers can put up a fight this weekend. While speaking on Thursday, he explained the importance of pole position this weekend, and how Ferrari have always been in the hunt for pole throughout the season.
It is fair to say that pole position at Monaco is perhaps more important than at any other circuit because of the difficulty drivers have in overtaking. Since the circuit is so narrow, barely any places are changed on track despite considerable car performance. And considering that Charles Leclerc has usually been strong in qualifying, this weekend could be his best opportunity for a race win.
