Ferrari and Charles Leclerc may be going through a tough time, but his driving prowess is well known. Besides, his presence in F1 in itself is a rarity for a reason that a former Red Bull driver highlighted. While all that raises his appeal in the fast world of motorsports, Prince Albert II, who’s been following his career since he was just 14, lauded the local boy for his other personality traits.

After the sad cancellation of the race in Imola, the action in F1 is ready to resume in Monaco. In the streets familiar to Charles, despite Ferrari’s all handicaps, he walks in as a favorite for the win. That is because Red Bull has a big weakness that the Prancing Horse excels in. That exact trait of their car will come in handy for Charles’ home race. We are talking about the speed in slow corners, of course. Probably the only area the reigning champions haven’t really championed.

Why Charles Leclerc is a novelty in F1 and Prince Albert’s high praise for him

Monaco is a small sovereign state in the French Riviera. The nation-state has a population of just 36,686 (as per the World Bank’s 2021 survey). The majority of the population is settled from outside while the number of actual Monegasques is pretty low.

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On a recent episode of the Formula For Success podcast, David Coulthard while talking with Monaco’s Prince Albert II, said, “A man that had the vision to not come here once he’d established his career, he came here when he was born, Charles Leclerc. Monegasque driver, racing for one of the most iconic brands in motor racing, Ferrari, is very much part of the normal society here. His mother cut my hair. How proud are you of knowing that one of your own and Monaco is, more than 30,000 people live here but there’s about 9,400 when I checked, actual Monegasque citizens and he’s one of them.”

To this, Prince Albert replied, “No, it’s tremendous pride and joy for us. I’ve been following him since he was 14 since he won first titles in go-kart racing and he went through the ranks then to the Ferrari Academy. He’s incredibly talented. He’s a wonderful young man, values great personality.”

Why Is the Monaco GP Such a Big Deal in F1?

Leclerc started the 2022 season with a race win, which he followed with another win in the third race of the season. The pace of the Ferrari hinted at a possible resurgence. To Charles, it would have been his first championship win had it not been for the Red Bull and Max Verstappen magic that happened later.

Prince Albert pins the hopes of the entire nation on Charles while urging him to be patient

The entire 2022 season turned out to be quite a disappointment for Leclerc and the Tifosi. The man was 46 points clear of Verstappen at one point in the season. Even the Dutchman admitted that climbing that mountain of points would be really tough. However, strategic failures and the slow development of the car robbed the Monegasque of what could have been a glorious year for him.

Prince Albert continued, “Every time I listen to him in post-race interviews, he is very objective, very critical about his performance. I think more so than most drivers. He’s had some great successes. Of course, he’s had some tough times as well, but we are hoping that one day he will not only win here at Monaco but that he will win the big title. But patience is also a great quality to have even if you’re driving extremely fast around the fast corners, but I’m sure his time will come if he has the right car.”

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The local boy will hope Ferrari will not repeat last year’s blunder in Monaco this time around. In 2022, he started the race from pole position. Surely, he will push to get it this Saturday and keep it until the chequered flag on Sunday.