Charles Leclerc is “confident” that Ferrari will have strong pace at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix as they look to take their first victory of the 2024 F1 season.
Leclerc, second in the drivers’ championship behind Max Verstappen, has never finished on the podium at his home event.
The 26-year-old has had a slightly disappointing start to the season as he was outplayed by Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, but third places in the last two races at Miami and Imola have given him momentum ahead of Monaco.
“Monaco is so specific that we have to start a bit from a blank page. The free practices are super, super important to build the rhythm little by little. But I am convinced that we will be strong,” said Leclerc.
“These are the same roads that I took on the bus to school when I was younger. Now it’s in a Formula 1 car. So it’s very special for me. So I Really looking forward to it. Being in Monaco, I think it’s a very special track for every driver because it’s a very difficult track and very special for me, because it’s my home race.”
The Monegasque curse of Leclerc
Most F1 drivers thrive on their home circuit, but Leclerc has experienced plenty of misfortune in Monaco.
In 2018, during his first Monaco Grand Prix, he was taken out of the race before the New Chicane when Brendon Hartley hit him in the back. A year later, Leclerc was eliminated in Q1 and retired from the race following contact with the Rascasse wall.
In 2021, he took pole position for Ferrari despite being red flagged in Q3 during a crash at the Piscine chicane. Ferrari thought they had repaired their car, but on race day the team discovered a problem on the way to the grid and Leclerc was unable to start due to a driveshaft failure.
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Charles Leclerc has been left furious by radio calls from his Ferrari team over whether or not he should enter the pits at the 2022 Monaco GP.
Twelve months later, Leclerc won the race but lost to his rivals by strategy and finished fourth. Last year, he started and finished sixth as rainy weather caused mid-race chaos.
“Monaco is very special for me. It’s true that it’s not the most successful race for me so far. However, the pace has always been there and that gives me the confidence that it will be the case this year too,” continued Leclerc. .
Will the Ferrari car be suitable for Monaco?
Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok believes Monaco’s slow corners will suit the SF-24 and sees no reason why they won’t challenge for victory with Red Bull and McLaren.
Ferrari’s third and fifth places at Imola were perhaps not what fans expected from their upgrade which debuted at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, both Leclerc and Sainz were positive about the updates working as expected.
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Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz talks about the Ferrari car’s seven aerodynamic improvements ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP
“The good thing is that everything we expected from these upgrades, we got it. Data-wise, it did exactly what it was supposed to do, which is always a good thing,” Leclerc said.
“For some reason we had a slightly different power strategy than McLaren and Red Bull in Imola qualifying, and we lost everything on the descent to turn two. Max, on top of that, had the wake. But it is something that we will have to think about, because especially on a track like this, the position on the track is absolutely essential.
“When there is only a tenth between Red Bull, McLaren and us, we have to do everything perfectly.”
Leclerc with a new voice in his ear
Ahead of Imola, Leclerc changed race engineers after Xavier “Xavi” Marcos Padros changed roles. Marcos Padros, who has worked with Leclerc since 2019, has become a hit with F1 fans for his “we’re checking” responses on team radio.
Brian Bozzi is the Monegasque driver’s new engineer and Johannes Hatz is his performance engineer.
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Actor Hugh Grant reveals he is a Ferrari supporter as he attends the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
“It’s always very delicate with every change, especially in the middle of the season,” Leclerc said.
“There were a lot of new things that he had to get up to speed with. I also had Johannes, who was my performance engineer, who was new to the track.
“I had two people on my team who were new to their roles and it was quite difficult at first, but they actually did an amazing job and everything went really well. Now we’re going to work there- on it and try to improve, but it’s a very good start.”
Monaco GP schedule live from Sky Sports F1
Thursday May 23
12:05 p.m.: F3 testing
1:30 p.m.: F1 drivers press conference
2:00 p.m.: F2 training
The Monaco GP takes place this Sunday at 2 p.m. – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
Friday May 24
10 a.m.: F3 qualifying
12:00 p.m.: First tests of the Monaco GP (session starts at 12:30 p.m.)*
2:00 p.m.: F2 qualifying*
3:45 p.m.: Second practice for the Monaco GP (session starts at 4 p.m.)*
5:30 p.m.: The F1 Show
6:30 p.m.: Final practice for the Indy 500
8:30 p.m.: Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge
Saturday May 25
9:40 a.m.: F3 Sprint
11:15 a.m.: Third practice for the Monaco GP (session starts at 11:30 a.m.)*
1:10 p.m.: Sprint F2*
2:15 p.m.: Preparing for qualifying for the Monaco GP*
3:00 p.m.: Monaco GP qualifying*
5 p.m.: Ted’s qualification log
Sunday May 26
6:55 a.m.: F3 feature race
8:35 a.m.: F2 featured race
12:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: preparation for the Monaco GP*
2 p.m.: The MONACO GRAND PRIX*
4 p.m.: Checkered flag: reaction from the Monaco GP
5 p.m.: Ted’s notebook
5:30 p.m.: The Indy 500
Then, it’s time for the most famous F1 race of all: the Monaco Grand Prix. Watch every session of the famous Friday street circuit live on Sky Sports F1, with the Sunday race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month subscription – No contracts, cancel anytime
