Not every Formula 1 driver is blessed with the advantage of having a home event, and even for those who do race on their own territory, a Grand Prix can still take place several hundred miles away from where they actually grow up.
Several Formula 1 drivers live in Monaco, making it to an extent a ‘naturalised’ home race, while when Nico Rosberg was competing he was also sort of local, on account of having grown up in the Principality.
But this weekend an actual Monegasque will race in Formula 1 for the first time since 1994 – not bad for a country where not only do foreigners out-number natives but is so small you can walk across in no time at all, and accidentally find yourself wandering over the border into France.
Step forward Charles Leclerc, who was raised in the street behind the start/finish line, and who first watched the race from the balcony of a friend’s apartment when he was four, playing with toy cars while the real ones negotiated the streets below.
Leclerc first raced around his home streets 12 months ago in Formula 2 and was on course for victory, only for a botched pit-stop strategy and mechanical failure to heartbreakingly end his chances.
This year the Ferrari junior will climb into the cockpit of Sauber’s C37, watched on by friends and family.
“Well it’s going to be crazy,” he says. “Since I was born really I was looking at the Grand Prix every year in Monaco, dreaming one day of being part of it.
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"Last year I was part of it in Formula 2 but this year it’s in Formula 1. There’s nothing higher than Formula 1, so it already feels great but I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some very big emotions for me this weekend.
“I know the circuit very well by bus to go to school in the morning or by walking with friends!
“But apart from that in a racing car I’ve only done it once which is actually not so much. It’s difficult to understand but when you're doing it at 300kph very close to the ground you see the corners differently.
“In F2 last year I was discovering the track completely. It was not like I knew the track. I knew where it was turning and I knew where the good restaurants are but that’s the only thing I know and that doesn’t help much for the performance!”
Leclerc heads to his home event buoyed by successive points finishes in Formula 1, following up a starring sixth in Azerbaijan with 10th in Spain – labelling the latter a bigger surprise than the former on account of expected struggles.
“Monaco doesn’t look like an easy track as it’s a high downforce set-up and we know we are struggling on that at the moment,” he said.
“But it’s a city track which I love driving in general so hopefully we can have another great result there.
“Qualifying will be key obviously as in a city track you just don’t overtake at all, already [in Spain] it was difficult but in Monaco it will be 10 times this, we’ll try and work and have a very good quali in Monaco.”
And what of the best part of the Monaco track?
“Probably the Esses at the Swimming Pool – both of them,” he says, eyes widening.
“It’s just a very quick section and also technical in the second ’S’ where errors are not really accepted because the walls are very close and the speeds are very high. So it’s the most challenging track for me as a driver.”
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