Charles Leclerc shares what happened for the first time in his F1 career during the Monaco GP

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Charles Leclerc admitted that he struggled to hold back his emotions on the way to his first Monaco Grand Prix win in Formula 1.

It was the third time asking at the historic race for Charles Leclerc to win around the streets he grew up in, having previously endured a lot of misfortune around the principality.

The ‘Lecurse’ became part of F1 folklore that stretched back to his days in Formula 2, when a promising start from pole on his debut was ruined by pit stop drama.

His first race in F1 ended in a dramatic brake failure, then in 2019 he retired with terminal damage, in 2021 he failed to make the start from pole with a driveshaft issue, then in 2022, a Ferrari strategy error cost him victory.

1996 World Champion Damon Hill believed Leclerc likely developed a sense of perspective from the losses he experienced, having now completed one of the most important ‘missions’ in his life.

Leclerc knew it would be emotional and reflected on what went through his mind during the final 10 laps of the race on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

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Charles Leclerc’s ’emotional’ last 10 laps of Monaco GP

It was a significant win for Leclerc not just because it was his home race, but also a moment for him to reflect on his journey to F1.

Leclerc claims he was overcome with emotions during the last 10 tours of the principality for the first time in his racing career, something that nearly distracted him.

“The last 10 laps it was probably the first time in my career where the emotions took the upper hand. And you never want that whenever you are behind a steering wheel in a Formula 1 car in Monaco,” said Leclerc.

“But 10 laps to go, I really felt that I was really emotional and that I had flashbacks of my whole career and important moments of my career.

“But I also knew that that was the last thing I wanted at that time and I quickly recovered from it mentally. I think it lasted probably half a lap and I was like ‘Come on, Charles, stop thinking about this and just get to the end.’”

Charles Leclerc on why he ‘hated’ racing against Carlos Sainz

Leclerc will have a new teammate in the form of Lewis Hamilton next year, having spent the last four years with Carlos Sainz who will move to Williams.

During their period as teammates, Leclerc and Sainz have been very close to each other on track. Heading into the final 10 races, Leclerc leads Sainz by just 15 points.

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Discussing their partnership, Leclerc said the one thing he ‘hated’ about racing Sainz was how they both sometimes did not see situations the same way.

He also said that he would “miss Carlos the person” when they eventually separate, putting an end to one of F1’s strongest teammate partnerships in the last couple of years.