Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finally clinched a victory in his home race by winning the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, May 26th at the Circuit de Monaco.
The 26-year-old got emotional while reflecting on his journey and remembering two important figures that influenced his life greatly.
"In Monza 2019 I was excited, but today in the last 15-20 laps I thought about my life and the people who are missing today and were fixed in my head: my father and Jules. That was a little more difficult to manage, but it was also the time of the race where they let me push a little more," the Monegasque racer said.
Leclerc's father, Herve, passed away in 2017 after an illness. During his final days, Charles told a white lie, claiming he had already reached Formula 1, though he wouldn't actually make his debut until the 2018 season.
This story was recounted by F1TV commentator Alex Jacques as Leclerc made his way through the final lap of the race.
Meanwhile, Jules Bianchi, who was Leclerc's godfather, was instrumental in his racing career, but tragically passed away nine months after the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix due to an accident with a recovery vehicle in wet conditions, leaving him in a coma.
Charles Leclerc breaks home race curse in Monaco
Leclerc finally won his home race in his seventh season in Formula 1, becoming the first Monegasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix in over 93 years since Louis Chiron in 1931, and the first winner since the race became part of the Formula 1 calendar.
Despite clinching pole position virtually guaranteeing a win in Monaco, Leclerc has failed to win in 2021 and 2022, a rarity despite having the most favorable starting position in the grid.
A gearbox issue prevented him from starting the race in 2021, while strategy errors from Ferrari caused him to drop places in 2022.
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