Carrying a special item for a boost of luck isn’t an uncommon trait among athletes and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is no different. As he looks to end his home Monaco GP podium drought, and perhaps even win the race, Leclerc sports a lucky shoe made by his team’s mechanic, Peter.
Leclerc wore the custom-made Puma speakers and revealed an interesting story about the same in an interview. There is a graphic of a roulette wheel on the side of his shoe where the ball appears to drop on number 16 (his number). The Monegasque said,
“Here it’s the roulette and it fell on the 16, which I hope will be the case on Sunday,”
charles explained that his shoes were made by one of his mechanics
also the “the roulette fell on number 16, i hope is the case on sunday”, im begging on my knees
: sedicii (tumblr)pic.twitter.com/4OQp89Stjg
— clara (@leclercsletters) May 24, 2024
Leclerc revealed that Peter did something very similar last year, and he decided to follow suit this time. Unfortunately, wearing a lucky shoe didn’t quite work wonders for Leclerc in 2023.
and he actually shared the shoes in detail!! pic.twitter.com/Ruil8SS6Ad
— clara (@leclercsletters) May 24, 2024
Ahead of what was a rain-hit race, Leclerc got a three-place grid penalty which dropped him from P3 to P6, and in a track like Monaco where it is extremely difficult to overtake, there wasn’t much the 26-year-old could do to make amends.
This year, however, things seem to be going much better for Charles Leclerc. Friday practice sessions cannot tell the story of the weekend that is to come, but fans of the Ferrari driver will be optimistic, given the pace that was on display.
Peter’s Special Shoes Doing the Trick for Charles Leclerc
The shoes which Leclerc wore last season, couldn’t help make up for Ferrari’s lack of pace overall. This season, however, the Maranello-based outfit appears to be in a much better place heading into qualifying in the Principality.
On a weekend where qualifying plays a huge role in dictating how the race will go, Leclerc held a distinct advantage over his counterparts on day one of proceedings. Not only did Leclerc finish P1 in FP2, he finished half a second ahead of Max Verstappen. Given the same, even the Dutchman conceded to Leclerc enjoying a distinct advantage in Monaco.
No one could get close to @Charles_Leclerc in FP2
He’ll be hoping for more of the same on Saturday #F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/j8NZuGX44z
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2024
As reported by ESPN, Verstappen feels that Ferrari is in a much better position this weekend. If things go according to plan for the Monaco native, he will finally be the favorite to win his home Grand Prix.
