This weekend, the 81st edition of the Monaco Grand Prix will be in full swing on the streets of the Rock. Unlucky since his debut in Formula 1, Charles Leclerc has never managed to achieve a podium on home soil. But maybe 2024 will be the right year.
MUNICH –“I just want victory, it’s the only thing that motivates me“. Charles Leclerc he was categorical when answering our question during the press briefing in Munich on Thursday.
Despite his hunger for triumph, the local driver has never had the opportunity to reach a step of the podium in his home race since joining Formula 1. More consistent this season and with a car he can attempt to rival with the Red Bull or overcome the McLarenthe number 16 could finally see the wind blow in his favor this weekend in the Principality.
Four podiums, second in the drivers’ standings
Things are going better than last year for the Ferrari And Leclerc. Over the course of eight races, and therefore after having completed the first third of the season, the Monegasque has always placed in the top four, has reached the podium four times and is currently second in the drivers’ standings (113). This is excellent performance, enhanced by an SF24 that is much faster and more powerful than its predecessor.
“There consistency is important in a championship, that’s for sure. Last year, if we look at the season, there were a lot of missed opportunities. If I look at the start of the season, as a team, there haven’t been many, which is a strong point, especially if you look at the points in the table“, the pilot said of Ferrari Thursday.
With a lead on Sergio Pérez (107 points) e Lando Norris (101 points), is still just ahead of the group, but remains competitive and has confirmed his desire to remain in the running for the title. Further back than Max Verstappen (161 points), intends to take even more points and catch up with the Dutchman in the next races.
“I will only be fully satisfied when we are on the top step of the podium“, he said. “To do that, we’ll have to take the next opportunities that come our way, but it’s been a good part of the season so far. In Imola we made some improvements. It wasn’t necessarily the best track to evaluate them. It won’t be the best here either, but I hope that for the rest of the season it will help us get closer to Red Bull“.
Is it time to win?
As a driver who loves to flirt with the limits of his car, the Monegasque knows what he needs to do to get his car where he wants. On the roads he took to school when he was younger, he will have to continue where he left off last week and aim for pole. Qualifying is one of the most important tasks in Monaco because it is practically impossible to overtake, so the hardest part will be on Saturday. However, he will have to put into practice what he has worked on with his team.
“If we look at the beginning of the season, the weak point of the car was the slow corners. And in Monaco they are all slow curves…”, he admitted later in the press briefing.“But Monaco is so unique. In terms of set-up, we are in a rather extreme situation. Because of the bumps, the vibrators and so on, we are entering a bit into the unknown. In 2021 we didn’t expect to be fast and fast. in the end we were. This weekend I think it will be in line with what we have done this year, which is quite close to McLaren and Red Bull“.
In order not to think about the sequence of events that put him under the curse (2018 and the collision, 2019 and the accident, 2022 and the strategy error or 2023 and the penalty), he intends“focus on yourself“. The more work he can do as a team and in the right conditions, the more chances he will have of getting on the podium or even winning.
“I am more focused on the process than on the result itself“he explained. “So far we have had few successes in Monaco. I have no doubt that the result will finally be the right one if we do everything perfectly. In Imola it was really very clean. We have made some progress. It’s difficult to anticipate Saturday, but it will be the risk taken by the driver that will make the difference. Here we can have some surprises when we try to reach the limit and I hope the car is fast enough to be at least in the top three“.
