Cover Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix (Photo: Getty Images)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix (Photo: Getty Images)
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Here’s everything to know about the Ferrari driver who sped to victory on his home turf in Monaco
Formula 1 fans, regardless of their allegiance to a specific team, will have likely celebrated Charles Leclerc’s triumphant win at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend—his first since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver has been unlucky at his home race since his Formula 1 debut in 2018, whether it’s finishing outside of the podium, mistimed pitstops or even facing technical difficulties that prevented him from starting.
However, his successful drive on May 26 ended the so-called “curse”, and earned him cheers across the stadium, as well as an emotional embrace from the Prince of Monaco, Albert II. To celebrate the occasion, we highlight five things you should know about Leclerc.
1. Leclerc is an APM brand ambassador
Jewellery brand APM Monaco appointed Leclerc as a brand ambassador in 2022—a fitting role for the Monegasque athlete whose enthusiasm for accessories predated this partnership as evidenced by his sharing his style on Instagram.
This year, he went to Cannes Film Festival 2024 for the APM Monaco party, modelled pieces from the Yummy and Monaco collections, and attended the store opening in Shanghai, where he presented fellow brand ambassador Yang Zi with a signed tyre—a Formula 1 tradition.
2. Racing runs in his family
Leclerc has said in past interviews how influential his late father, Hervé, and late godfather, Jules Bianchi, have been throughout his racing career: the former drove in Formula 3 in the ’80s and ’90s, while the latter tragically died at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix just over a year after making it to Formula 1.
Leclerc’s younger brother, Arthur, is also carving a career in motorsports: he drove for French team DAMS in Formula 2 in 2023, joined the European Le Mans Series with Panis Racing this year, and is also the current developmental driver for Ferrari in Formula 1.
3. He launched an ice-cream brand, Lec
It’s not uncommon for Formula 1 drivers to have side businesses, but launching an ice cream brand is a first. In March this year, Leclerc announced his dessert brand, Lec, which offers low-calorie treats in five flavours: chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, salted caramel and peanut caramel.
4. Leclerc is a self-taught pianist
During Covid, many drivers turned to live streaming so they could engage with fans while the Formula 1 season was on a hiatus. Leclerc used his platform to answer fan questions and to share the progress on his self-taught piano skills. He has even released three compositions on Spotify, all inspired by race weekends: AUS23, MIA23 and MON23.
5. Leo is the newest addition to his life
If you’ve been active on Formula 1 official and fan platforms on social media this month, you’ll likely have seen images of a dachshund puppy running around the paddock at the Miami Grand Prix. Leclerc debuted his and girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux’s dog, Leo, with an Instagram carousel to the delight of fans. Pawsome, we say!
Amalissa Hall was the style writer at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on writing digital articles, she covers news, tracks trends and interviews experts from the fashion, beauty and wellness industries, as well as entertainment spheres. Interview highlights include Formula One driver Alex Albon, award-winning costume designer Jany Temime and prolific make-up artist Lisa Eldridge.
She has also produced print stories featuring make-up artists, perfumiers and other upcoming figures discussing Asian representation on social media, sharing industry insight and trends as well as explaining new approaches to wellness in Hong Kong.
