The Charles Leclerc Monaco Curse: A Home Race Struggle

Monaco, the playground of the rich and famous, is also home to one of the most iconic races in Formula 1. The narrow streets and tight corners make it a challenging circuit for even the most experienced drivers. For Charles Leclerc, however, it seems to be a particularly challenging venue. Despite being from Monaco and having achieved significant success in his career already, Leclerc has yet to achieve success at his home race. 

Leclerc's first appearance at Monaco came during his F2 days in 2017. Driving for Prema Racing, he claimed pole position and was leading early in the race. However, trouble would come following his first pit stop. He came into the pits before the Safety Car had been deployed, dropping him down to fourth. His afternoon would only get worse when he was forced to retire a lap later due to a suspension failure. During the sprint race that weekend, he was again forced to retire with electrical issues. 

In 2018, Leclerc made his F1 debut for Sauber at Monaco. It looked like he may be on course to finish the race for the first time until lap 72 when his brakes failed and he crashed into the back of Brendon Hartley's Toro Rosso. He was officially classified as he had finished more than 90% of the race but it was another disappointment for him. 

The next year, Leclerc was driving for Ferrari in Monaco. He was eliminated in Q1, meaning he started the race in P15 due to Antonio Giovinazzi's grid penalty. He was challenging Nico Hulkenburg's Renault when he got squeezed out and into the wall. His rear right tire made contact, sending Leclerc into a spin. He dragged his car into the pits but after coming back for his second stop in lap 16, Ferrari decided the floor damage was too great and retired their driver. 

The COVID-19 pandemic upset the traditional calendar in 2020, leading to the cancellation of Monaco. The race and Leclerc returned in 2021. And it looked like things might be going his way. He took a provisional pole and crashed heavily into the barriers at turn 16. This ensured that no other driver could beat his time. However, on the reconnaissance lap to the grid, a failure in the left driveshaft was discovered, resulting in a DNS. 

In 2022, Leclerc managed to finish at Monaco for the first time. He set the quickest time in qualifying but a deluge saw the race start behind the Safety Car following a 65-minute delay. Once racing resumed, Ferrari brought him in to swap from wet to intermediate tires but soon after called him in again for the hards. It was an embarrassing affair with his race engineer attempting to cancel the call soon after. Leclerc was furious as he double-stacked behind Carlos Sainz and found himself stuck behind Max Verstappen's Red Bull, settling for P4. 

Leclerc's struggles in Monaco extend beyond F1. He took part in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix behind the wheel of Niki Lauda's 1974 Ferrari 312 B3 a week before his embarrassing start in 2022. He lost control of the car and spun into the barriers at La Rascasse almost at the end of his demo run. 

Despite these disappointments, Leclerc remains determined to achieve success at his home race. His talent is undeniable, and he has already achieved significant success in his career, including becoming the only Monégasque driver to win a race. Perhaps one day, he will conquer the Charles Leclerc Monaco curse and achieve success in his home race.