Charles Leclerc shares details about his fiancée and fame

In an interview with Racer magazine, the Monegasque Ferrari driver discussed how his fame has grown since his Formula 1 debut and the reasons that led him to go public with his engagement to Alexandra Saint Mleux.

Charles Leclerc, who entered Formula 1 in 2018 with Alfa Romeo before joining Ferrari in 2019, has seen his popularity skyrocket over the years. In an interview with the British media outlet Racer, the 28-year-old Monegasque described three distinct phases in his relationship with fame.

“My life has really changed a lot,” he told Racer. “I’ve gone through three phases. Obviously, there’s the first phase where you’re still a nobody, people don’t really recognise you. […] The second phase is when you get stopped more and more often. At first, it’s something you enjoy. […] And then the third phase is when you perhaps want a little more privacy in certain areas.”

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He had already mentioned this change before the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, admitting that getting around the Principality had become more complicated since he started out. Despite this loss of privacy, the Ferrari driver remains positive: “I’m so lucky to be doing what I love, in the team I’ve always dreamed of driving for, with so much support everywhere.”

The importance of family

Beyond fame, it is the need for a normal life that the Monaco native sometimes misses. “Sometimes you just want to spend time with your mother, be normal and live a normal life, and that’s a little more difficult now,” he says.

Last November, Leclerc announced his engagement to Alexandra Saint Mleux in a very romantic proposal involving their dachshund Léo. It was a deliberate choice to share the news: ‘It’s nice to share these positive moments with those who follow us.’ The couple, who are very present in Monaco life, recently attended AS Monaco Basket’s victory over Real Madrid.

Keeping the track and personal life separate

The driver also admits how hard it is not to bring his emotions from the track home with him: “If I have a really bad race, I come home feeling down. If I have a good race, I come home happier.” His solution? “After every race, my goal is to start from scratch, whether it was a good race or a bad race.”

The Monegasque driver finished the 2025 Formula 1 season in fifth place in the drivers’ world championship with 242 points, scoring seven podium finishes during the year.