Charles Leclerc is a Monegasque racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Ferrari. His current season’s best was finishing second in the 2022 Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari.
| Nationality | Monégasque |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc 16 October 1997 Monte Carlo, Monaco |
Leclerc’s motorsport journey began with a stellar karting career. His crowning achievement came in 2011 when he won the Karting World Cup, highlighting him as one of the most promising talents in his generation. This success opened doors for him to progress to the junior formulae. In 2016, Leclerc secured his first major championship title in the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. Following that season’s success, he won the inaugural Formula 2 Championship in 2017 with Prema Racing, becoming only the fourth driver in history to win the championship in their rookie season, a feat previously achieved by the likes of Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc made his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber, a team that had close ties to Ferrari. As part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Leclerc’s rookie season in the C37 was seen as a critical test of his readiness for a top-tier team One. Despite driving for a team that struggled towards the back of the grid in previous years, Leclerc’s raw talent shone through. He scored points in 10 of the 21 races, finishing a respectable 13th in the championship with 39 points. After consistently outperforming his more experienced teammate, Marcus Ericsson, he was rewarded with a move to Ferrari in 2019.
Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019, replacing Kimi Raikkonen to become teammate to Sebastian Vettel. In just his second race with the team, he made headlines by securing pole position at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest pole-sitter in F1 history. That season, Leclerc took his first career victory at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, followed by an emotional win at Ferrari’s home race in Italy, ending the team’s nine-year victory drought at Monza. He finished fourth in the drivers’ standings in 2019, ahead of his more experienced teammate Vettel, and firmly established himself as Ferrari’s new leading driver.
The subsequent years were challenging for Ferrari. The 2020 and 2021 seasons saw the team struggle to compete with the dominant Mercedes and Red Bull teams, leading to winless campaigns for Leclerc.
With new regulations in 2022, Ferrari experienced a resurgence that saw Leclerc compete at the front again. He claimed multiple wins throughout the season and ultimately finished second in the 2022 Drivers’ Championship behind the dominant Max Verstappen.
In 2024, Leclerc achieved a career-defining milestone by winning the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, becoming the first Monegasque driver to win his home race in 93 years. The win was particularly poignant for Leclerc, as it was a race he had dreamed of winning since childhood. As of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Leclerc has secured seven race wins, 26 pole positions, nine fastest laps, and 39 podiums in his Formula One career.
He is contracted to remain with Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season.
