"I only see myself winning": Charles Leclerc shares mindset ahead of Monaco Grand Prix

With just a few days to go before the prestigious Formula 1 Tag Heuer Monaco Grand Prix, Monegasque native Charles Leclerc spoke to the local press at the ACM Lounge. The defending champion on the Monaco circuit, Ferrari driver Leclerc talked about his expectations for this weekend, his preparations, the team’s difficulties since the start of the season, as well as his relationship with new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Having won his home Grand Prix last season after several unsuccessful attempts, Charles Leclerc is going into the 2025 race with a different status, that of defending champion.

You’ve come to Monaco with 61 points on the board and only one podium finish, in Jeddah. What’s your initial assessment of the start of the season?

Clearly, it’s bad. We’re not at all satisfied with the car’s performance. We finished last year in the running for the Constructors’ World Championship. So we had serious ambitions of trying to win the title this year. We’re going all out to try and get back the performance we’ve lost compared to McLaren and Red Bull in particular.

In view of that initial assessment, do you see yourself on the podium this weekend in Monaco?

I only see myself winning. Podiums don’t particularly inspire me. For several grands prix, our weakness has been in the slow bends. Unfortunately, that’s all there is in Monaco, so I’m expecting a tough weekend. At the same time, the circuit is so unusual and unique that we can hope there might be something we haven’t discovered about the car and that it’ll come through here.

This will be your seventh Monaco Grand Prix in F1, but your first as defending champion. Do you feel a weight has been lifted off your shoulders going into it, or on the contrary, do you feel more pressure?

No particular pressure or relief. The good news is media day on Thursday. We didn’t manage to make it happen in previous years, but last year we did. Even though I’m used to it, it’s still a very special weekend after the many commitments I have to honour throughout the week. I hope to repeat last year’s result.

After your success last year, Fred Vasseur said: “We’ll have a Charles before and a Charles after this Monaco Grand Prix.” What has the victory changed?

Winning in Monaco gives you confidence because the driver can really make a difference on the circuit. After so many missed opportunities, I savoured the win. It’s a breakthrough moment for every driver because it dispels any doubts and makes you realise that you can do it again.

You’ve been in pole position three times in four years here in Monaco. How do you explain being so comfortable on this circuit and at ease on a timed lap?

I love street circuits. I don’t just mean Monaco, it’s true for Baku and Singapore too. These are the circuits I particularly like and when there are barriers, you can take more risks. It often pays off, otherwise you’re headed for the wall. It’s a challenge I particularly like because in qualifying you can really make a difference as a driver and I hope to repeat my performance again this year.

“Monaco’s track marshals are exceptional”

We recently saw you in the latest Canal+ documentary, “Les Anges Gardiens de Monaco”. We could sense you have a real fondness for the track marshals. Are they really the best in the world, as you said in the documentary?

The statistics show just how quickly the cars are picked up. Without them, none of that would be possible. They are exceptional and they work hard. I’d seen all the preparations that go into getting to that level and it’s impressive. I don’t think there are any other marshalls, at any rate on other circuits, who are as well prepared as the ones in Monaco.

Have you noticed any changes in Monaco since you made your Formula 1 debut, particularly in terms of popularity? Is it harder for you to get around? Are you more in demand?

It was pretty laid back for me in my first year in Formula 1. Then there was the Drive To Survive series on Netflix, which helped Formula 1 take off. Not just in Monaco, but all over the world, especially in the United States, usually with a much younger audience.

“I’ll keep believing right to the end”

The start of the season hasn’t lived up to your expectations. With your current position in the constructors’ and drivers’ championships, what are you hoping for going forward? What would a great 2025 season look like today?

I haven’t given it much thought because it’s just impossible for me to say that a good season would mean finishing fourth, third and so on. Honestly, I’ll keep believing it’s possible right up to the end. Last year, Red Bull totally dominated the first seven races and then McLaren came back strongly. I hope we can have that kind of turnaround from Barcelona onwards. In Spain there’s going to be a change in the technical regulations for the front wings, which we’ve been working on quite a bit. It should be good for us, but nothing’s certain. So we need to score all the points we can until Barcelona.

“Lewis and I are pushing Ferrari in the same direction”

Lewis’ arrival caused a big stir at Ferrari. Has this changed anything for you within the Scuderia? Do you have a little less pressure on your shoulders or a lot more?

It doesn’t change anything for me at all. It’s a huge opportunity for me to learn, because he’s one of the legends of Formula 1. But it’s also a great motivation and a chance to show what I can do with Lewis alongside me in the same car.

What kind of team-mate is Lewis Hamilton? What exactly have you learnt from him so far?

Discipline and a way of working. Carlos was a hard worker too, but Lewis is in a different way, and it’s really interesting to see the dynamics within the team. How does he handle problems? How does he comment on the car for development? It’s always interesting for drivers to be able to analyse how their team-mate works with his engineers.

He’s extremely talented and has a very interesting driving style, which I sometimes use myself at certain points in the race if it’s the right thing to do. We both drive in a fairly similar way. We both push going into the bends. I think it’s quite positive for the team too, because we have a real, clear direction that we’re both pushing in.