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Charles Leclerc
- Team Ferrari
- Nation Monaco
- Date of birth 16/10/1997
- Place of birth Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Debut Australia, 2018 (Alfa Romeo)
If Formula 1® races lasted one lap, you’d put your money on Charles Leclerc. No matter whether his Ferrari is fast or fragile, no matter if it’s a street circuit or conventional track, the Monegasque routinely produces something special with low fuel, grippy tyres and the pressure of the qualifying timer hitting zero.
Leclerc is a transcendent talent, and we’ve seen drivers of lesser quality winning titles. But his stint at the sport’s most famous team has coincided with Mercedes dominating, before Red Bull stared down the Silver Arrows and dominated more. Five years in red with a single top-three championship finish feels like an inadequate return for someone of Leclerc’s class.
Ferrari’s title drought hits 17 years in 2024; it’s not quite the barren spell from 1979 (Jody Scheckter) to 2000 (Michael Schumacher), but it’s close. Leclerc looks eminently qualified to bury that hoodoo, but can’t do it alone.
