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Written by Cydney Barge
Image via Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images
Charles Leclerc will be returning home this weekend where he hopes to overcome his awful luck at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Every driver dreams of winning their home Grand Prix and when your home Grand Prix is Monaco, the stakes are even higher.
Leclerc is the only driver on the grid who grew up on the streets of Monaco meaning he’s very familiar with the street circuit. However, when it comes to Monaco, homeboy Leclerc can’t seem to catch a break.
Image via Octane Photographic Ltd
His bad luck began in 2017 where he took to the track in his Formula 2 car. He began the weekend by impressing his home crowd in qualifying where he soared to pole position just 0.012s ahead of championship rival Alex Albon. The win was tantalisingly close and it looked like it was his when suspension failure struck forcing him to retire his car.
With Formula 2, you get a second chance the following day, a chance to make up for Saturday’s woes, but with Leclerc’s luck, this was not the case. If starting the race from the back of the grid wasn’t bad enough, it went from bad to worse for Leclerc when an electrical issue hit, leading to him retiring for the second time that weekend.
Image via The-Fastline.co.uk
2018 saw Leclerc move up to Formula 1 racing for Sauber meaning he was ready to make his F1 debut at home in Monaco. Once again, things didn’t go his way. Qualifying in a comfortable P14, Leclerc managed to make a few positions up during the race moving up to P12.
Whilst sitting comfortably just outside of the points, Leclerc suffered brake failure just before Nouvelle Chicane leading to his race ending in the back of Brendon Hartley’s Toro Rosso.
Image via Autosport.com
The next year was a big one for Charles Leclerc where he became Ferrari’s newest driver. Having missed out on his first win in Bahrain, Leclerc was hungry to get onto the top step of the podium. A strategy mishap for Ferrari saw him lose out on the chances of a good starting position, knocking him out in Q1.
During the race on Sunday, Leclerc was working his way up the field however when trying to overtake Nico Hulkenberg, Leclerc met with the wall. This lead to a puncture which left him with significant floor damage. His race once again was needed prematurely.
2020 gave Leclerc a much needed break from his home Grand Prix with the race being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But 2021 saw cars back in the principality.
Leclerc took the Monaco Grand Prix qualifying by storm on Saturday setting the most incredible lap shocking the crowds. But qualifying came to an abrupt end when Leclerc hit the barriers at the exit of the Swimming pool complex.
Ferrari fixed the car and said that there was “no serious damage” on the gearbox despite earlier concerns and Leclerc headed to the grid to start his home race from pole. On his reconnaissance lap, Leclerc noticed an issue. He was quickly taken back to the pits where it was confirmed that he would not be starting, or finishing, the Monaco Grand Prix.
Image via DAZN/F1 broadcast
It has been heartbreak after heartbreak for Leclerc, he even demonstrated his Monaco curse whilst driving Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312B3, spinning into the barriers at La Rascasse.
He can’t catch a break, but this year, he seems to be in the championship fight. Will he be able to get rid of his bad luck and set a new legacy in Monaco? Only time will tell.
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