Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc belongs to a generation of drivers who reached Formula 1 after a remarkably swift and successful rise through the junior ranks. Born in Monte Carlo on 16 October 1997, the Monegasque progressed from his first laps in a kart through titles in GP3 and Formula 2 to Scuderia Ferrari, the team he had dreamed of racing for since childhood. But his career has not been defined solely by victories and pole positions. It has also been shaped by personal loss, longstanding relationships within motorsport and a determination to establish himself at one of the most closely watched teams in world sport.

First laps in a kart

Leclerc grew up in Monaco, a place inextricably linked with motorsport. He took up racing unusually early, trying a kart for the first time at around three and a half years old at a circuit run by Philippe Bianchi, father of future Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi.

The Bianchi family would play a significant role in his subsequent career. Jules Bianchi became a close friend and mentor to Leclerc, and later helped bring his talent to the attention of manager Nicolas Todt.

Leclerc steadily began collecting successes in French and international karting. In 2009, he won the French Cadet title, followed a year later by the Monaco Kart Cup in KF3. In 2011, he won both the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup and the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy. Further success followed, including the Under-18 World Championship title in 2012.

In his final karting season in 2013, he was already competing against several drivers he would later face in Formula 1. In the prestigious KZ category, he finished second to Max Verstappen in the World Cup. Their rivalry therefore began many years before they started fighting for grand prix victories.

Yet continuing his career was far from guaranteed. Leclerc later spoke openly about his family's limited financial means to support a future in professional motorsport. His partnership with Nicolas Todt, who began managing his career and helped him progress towards single-seaters, was therefore a crucial turning point.

From karting to single-seaters

Leclerc moved into single-seater racing in 2014. His first full campaign was in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps, where he finished runner-up as a rookie.

A year later, he joined the fiercely competitive FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. He made an impressive start to the season, winning races and even leading the standings in its early stages. He eventually finished fourth, while also ending the year as the championship's top rookie. His rivals at the time included Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell and Lance Stroll.

His performances in junior motorsport convinced Ferrari. Leclerc became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, a programme designed to prepare talented drivers for the highest levels of racing.

From that point, his progress towards Formula 1 gathered remarkable pace.

Two titles in two years

In 2016, he joined the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix and won the championship at his first attempt. He took three victories and beat a strong field that included his team-mate Alex Albon.

At the same time, he was gaining his first experience of Formula 1 machinery. As a member of Ferrari's programme, he was given the opportunity to take part in practice sessions with Haas.

The following season became one of the defining periods of his career. Leclerc moved to Prema in the newly created FIA Formula 2 Championship, which replaced the GP2 Series. Once again, he won the title at his first attempt.

He was particularly dominant in qualifying throughout the year and won seven races. He secured the title before the end of the season, firmly establishing himself as one of the leading candidates for a move into Formula 1.

But 2017 was also one of the most difficult years of his personal life. His father Hervé, who had supported Charles's career from the outset, died just days before the Formula 2 weekend in Baku. Leclerc nevertheless travelled to Azerbaijan and won the feature race.

Two years earlier, he had also lost Jules Bianchi, who died from injuries sustained in his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi held a special place in Leclerc's career, not only as a friend but also as the person who helped open the door to professional management.

Formula 1 debut

After his GP3 and F2 titles, Leclerc had just one final step to take. He made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber in 2018.

The start of his rookie season was not flawless, but he improved considerably as the year progressed. He scored his first points with sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished in the points ten times across the season.

The most important outcome of his first year, however, was not a particular race result. Ferrari decided to promote its junior driver to the main team after just one season in F1.

From 2019, Leclerc would replace world champion Kimi Räikkönen and race alongside four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

A dream fulfilled at Ferrari

When Leclerc became a Ferrari works driver at the age of 21, he was among the youngest drivers in the Scuderia's history.

He did not have to wait long for his first major result. In only his second race for Ferrari, in Bahrain, he claimed his maiden pole position and led most of the Grand Prix. An engine problem cost him a likely victory, leaving him third at the finish.

His first victory finally came at Spa-Francorchamps in September 2019, but against a deeply tragic backdrop. The day before the race, Leclerc's longstanding friend Anthoine Hubert, with whom he had grown up and raced since childhood, was killed in a Formula 2 accident.

Leclerc nevertheless contested the Belgian Grand Prix and, after a battle with Lewis Hamilton, claimed his first Formula 1 victory. He dedicated it to Hubert.

A week later came another moment that would profoundly shape his relationship with Ferrari's fans. At Monza, he started from pole position and withstood pressure from the Mercedes drivers throughout the race. Ferrari secured its first home victory at the Italian Grand Prix since 2010.

Leclerc took seven pole positions in 2019 — more than any other driver — and finished fourth in the championship. He also outscored his more experienced team-mate Vettel.

The years when Ferrari could not fight for wins

The 2020 season brought a sharp decline in Ferrari's performance. The SF1000 lacked the pace to challenge the leading teams regularly, and the Scuderia finished only sixth in the Constructors' Championship.

Leclerc nevertheless secured two podium finishes. Ferrari was more competitive the following year, and the Monegasque added another podium and further pole positions, although his wait for another victory continued.

Carlos Sainz became his team-mate in 2021. Together, they formed Ferrari's driver line-up for the next phase of his career.

Fighting for the world championship

The change in technical regulations ahead of the 2022 season put Ferrari back among the teams capable of winning regularly.

Leclerc began the year with victory in Bahrain and moved into the world championship lead after a dominant win in Australia. He also won in Austria during the season and claimed nine pole positions.

Ferrari gradually dropped points, however, through a combination of technical failures, strategic decisions, driver errors and Red Bull's improving performance. Leclerc eventually finished the season second in the championship behind Max Verstappen.

In terms of his final championship position, 2022 remains his most successful Formula 1 season.

The victory he had waited a lifetime for

The following period did not bring a sustained title challenge for Ferrari, but Leclerc remained a standout qualifier and continued to collect podium finishes and pole positions regularly.

One trophy still eluded him, however — victory at home in Monaco.

Until then, his home Grand Prix had brought a succession of difficult weekends. In 2021, he took pole position, but damage to his car following a qualifying crash prevented him from starting. A year later, he again started from pole but finished fourth after the race played out on strategy.

Everything changed in 2024. Leclerc was fastest in qualifying and this time converted pole position into victory. He described his triumph on the streets where he grew up as one of the most powerful moments of his career.

He claimed two more victories that season. He won the United States Grand Prix in Austin and repeated his 2019 success at Monza. This time, Ferrari won thanks to a combination of his pace and a one-stop strategy, which allowed him to keep rivals on fresher tyres behind him.

Monza and Monte Carlo thus became the two places most closely associated with Leclerc's Ferrari career.

A long-term bond with Ferrari

Leclerc's relationship with Ferrari extends beyond his time in Formula 1 itself. The Scuderia supported him during his junior career, and it was through the Ferrari Driver Academy that he gained his first opportunities at the pinnacle of the sport.

The team has consequently signed him to long-term contracts on several occasions. During his time at Maranello, Leclerc has repeatedly stressed that his ambition remains to win the world championship with Ferrari.

Over the years, his association with the Scuderia has become one of the longest partnerships between a driver and Ferrari in modern Formula 1 history.

Life away from the racing car

Although most of Leclerc's public life revolves around motorsport, he has several longstanding interests away from the circuit.

One of the most prominent is music. He plays the piano and guitar, and gradually began composing his own music. In 2023, he released his first piano pieces, inspired by individual grands prix. He later collaborated with French pianist Sofiane Pamart on a joint musical project.

He describes music as a way to switch off mentally from the constant focus on racing.

He is also interested in fashion, design, photography and art. Even when he was younger, he spoke about being particularly drawn to the creative and design side of fashion.

His other interests include chess and diving. Leclerc is a qualified diver and has previously said that he has dived with friends to depths of around 40 metres in his spare time.

During the pandemic in 2020, fans also saw a less formal side of him through sim racing and Twitch streams. He competed in virtual races alongside other Formula 1 drivers, helping bring sim racing to a wider audience.

Family continues to play a major role in his private life. He has two brothers, Lorenzo and Arthur. His younger brother Arthur Leclerc also pursued a career in professional motorsport and has raced in several junior single-seater categories.

A career shaped by success and loss

Leclerc's rise to Formula 1 was remarkably rapid: he began racing single-seaters in 2014, became GP3 champion in 2016, won the Formula 2 title a year later and was racing in Formula 1 by 2018. After just one season with Sauber, he moved to Ferrari.

Behind that progress, however, lies a personal story marked by the loss of three people closely connected to his life and career — Jules Bianchi, his father Hervé and Anthoine Hubert.

Leclerc has repeatedly spoken publicly about their influence, and some of the most significant moments of his career have been directly linked to their memory.

From the karts he first drove as a small child, through back-to-back junior titles to victories in Ferrari colours, he has built a career whose central ambition remains the same as when he arrived in Maranello: to fight for the world championship with Ferrari.