Charles Leclerc grew up watching the Monaco Grand Prix from a friend’s apartment above the harbour. The friend was Jules Bianchi, his godfather’s son, who died from injuries sustained at Suzuka in 2014. Leclerc’s father Hervé died in 2017, four days before Charles won a Formula 2 race in Baku. He has carried both men through a career that Ferrari’s fans adopted early and completely, which is why his heavy crash at Monza this September silenced 100,000 people who had come to cheer him.
The academy graduate
Leclerc was born in Monte Carlo on 16 October 1997 and came through karting as a rival of Max Verstappen, who beat him to the 2013 world title. Ferrari signed him to its Driver Academy in 2016, and he repaid the investment with consecutive championships: GP3 in 2016 and Formula 2 in 2017, the latter won as a rookie with seven victories. A season at Sauber in 2018 was enough. Ferrari put him in the senior car for 2019 alongside Sebastian Vettel, and he took his first win at Spa that September, a day after Anthoine Hubert was killed in the Formula 2 race on the same circuit. A week later he won Monza. Ferrari had a new favourite.
The near-miss years
2022 should have been the title. Ferrari built the fastest car at the start of the ground-effect era and Leclerc won three of the first five races, then watched the season unravel through strategy errors, reliability failures and a Red Bull that got better every month. The Monaco win finally arrived in 2024, ending a home-race curse that had included a crash on the way to the grid from pole in 2021. His qualifying speed has never been questioned. His record of converting it, and Ferrari’s record of helping him, has.
Living with Hamilton
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton for 2025 changed Leclerc’s status without changing his job. He was the incumbent, the driver Maranello had raised, sharing a garage with the most decorated driver in history. 2026 has been unkind to both of them. Ferrari’s power unit is behind Mercedes, Hamilton has generally been the quicker Ferrari, and Leclerc sits fifth on 155 points after 13 rounds, 36 behind his team-mate. A Ferrari insider this week described him as feeling “psychological pressure” against Hamilton. He has crashed more than a driver of his ability should, and a headline this week pinned the Monza accident on a “flaw” that has recurred through the season.
Monza
The home race was the low point. The two Ferraris touched at the first corner, Hamilton later said the team had “no rules” for how its drivers race, and Leclerc crashed heavily hard enough to bring out the red flag and report vision problems afterwards. He was cleared to race in Madrid and, in a small mercy, avoided an engine penalty despite the damage. His response to the criticism was to blame the media for pushing an anti-teamwork narrative, which is the response of a driver who feels cornered. Our piece on Ferrari’s management failure argued that the fault lies with the structure, not with him.
What Ferrari owes him
Leclerc’s contract runs for years yet. The question is what Ferrari intends to do with him: build the 2027 car around a driver who has been loyal for a decade, or around the one with seven titles and a shorter horizon. Fred Vasseur has hinted at a change to how the team handles its drivers. Leclerc’s whole career has been about waiting for Ferrari to get it right. He is 28. The waiting has a limit.
Fact file
- Born: 16 October 1997, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- F1 debut: 2018 Australian Grand Prix, Sauber
- First win: 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari
- Junior titles: GP3 (2016), Formula 2 (2017)
- 2026 team: Ferrari, number 16
- 2026 standings after round 13: 5th, 155 points
Frequently asked questions
How many races has Leclerc won?
His wins include Spa and Monza in 2019, three in 2022 and his home race in Monaco in 2024. He has driven for Ferrari since 2019.
Was he injured at Monza?
He reported vision problems after the crash, was checked and later confirmed he was largely unhurt, and was cleared to race in Madrid.
How old is he?
28 during the 2026 season.
Where is he in the championship?
Fifth after 13 rounds on 155 points.
