Charles Leclerc has revealed the emotions involved in winning his home race saw him struggling with tears during the closing laps in Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Leclerc had been on pole position on two previous occasions at Monte Carlo in 2021 and 2022, but misfortune and mistakes had seen him fail to step on the podium.
However, the Monegasque driver drove a measured outing from the lead to convert pole on the third attempt and claim the win on home soil that he had been craving.
Once he had pulled clear from Oscar Piastri, Leclerc expressed that the thoughts going through his head overwhelmed him and started creating issues with his vision.
“I think where I struggled the most to actually contain my emotions was during the last 10 laps of the race,” Leclerc expressed. “More than on the podium.
“I realised actually two laps to the end that I was struggling to see out of the tunnel just because I had tears in my eyes and I was like, fuck Charles, you cannot do that now.
“You still have two laps to finish and especially on a track like Monaco, you have to be on it. All the way to the end.
“It was very difficult to contain those emotions, those thoughts again of the people that have helped me to get to where I am today.
“It’s only a win. The season is still very, very long. It’s 25 points like any other wins. However, emotionally, this one means so much.
“And I think the fact as well that we started twice on pole position in the past and that we couldn’t manage to get the win for one reason or another, that we couldn’t really control, not in our control, makes this one even more so special.”
Leclerc has disclosed that he was thinking about his late father Hervé, who passed away in 2017, and considers his latest triumph as the fulfilment of a shared dream.
“It means a lot obviously. It’s a race that made me dream of becoming a Formula One driver one day,” Leclerc added.
“So yeah, it was a difficult race emotionally because already 15 laps to the end, you’re just hoping that nothing happens. Already the emotions were coming.
“I have to say that I was thinking to my dad a lot more than, than what I thought while driving.
“Obviously he’s given everything for me to be here. And yeah, it was a dream of ours for me to, to race here and to win. So it’s unbelievable.”
