142 Facts About Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc graduated to FIA European Formula 3 in 2015, winning several races as he finished fourth in his rookie season.

Charles Leclerc won his first championship at the 2016 GP3 Series with ART.

Charles Leclerc made his Formula One debut in 2018 with Sauber as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, scoring several points finishes in the C37.

Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari for 2019 to partner Sebastian Vettel, and became the second-youngest polesitter in Formula One history at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc took his maiden career win in Belgium, before ending Ferrari's record nine-year drought at the Italian Grand Prix, which saw him nicknamed "il Predestinato" in Italian media.

Charles Leclerc is contracted to remain at Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Outside of motor racing, Charles Leclerc collaborated with pianist Sofiane Pamart on the extended play Dreamers, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.

Charles Marc Herve Perceval Leclerc was born on 16 October 1997 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Charles Leclerc's father, Herve Leclerc, was a racing driver who competed in Formula Three in the 1980s and 1990s, whilst his mother, Pascale Leclerc, is a former hairdresser who operated a hair salon in Fontvieille.

Herve died after a long illness, aged 54, four days before Charles Leclerc won the feature race at the 2017 Baku Formula 2 round.

Charles Leclerc's younger brother, Arthur, is a racing driver who has competed in open-wheel and sportscar racing, winning the Formula Regional Asian Championship in 2022.

Charles Leclerc began his competitive career in 2005, winning the regional PACA championship in the Mini class with 15 wins from 18 races, which he successfully defended in 2006.

Charles Leclerc partnered with Richard Mille that year, who supported him through the remainder of his karting career.

Charles Leclerc finished twenty-ninth on his Karting World Cup debut, fifth in the inaugural Karting Academy Trophy, and runner-up to Pierre Gasly in the French Championship.

Charles Leclerc was scouted by Nicolas Todt in 2011, joining his All Road Management firm.

Charles Leclerc further won the Academy Trophy and the Masters of Paris-Bercy, as well as finishing runner-up to Nicklas Nielsen in the WSK Final Cup.

Charles Leclerc graduated to the senior KF2 category in 2012 with the factory-backed ART Grand Prix team, winning the WSK Euro Series; he was involved in an incident with Max Verstappen at the second round, which resulted in both drivers' disqualifications.

Charles Leclerc finished runner-up on his Karting European Championship debut amidst a title battle with Verstappen and Ben Barnicoat, as well as at the under-18 Karting World Championship by a single point.

Charles Leclerc achieved fifth-placed finishes in both the World Cup and WSK Final Cup, and fourth at the SKUSA SuperNationals.

In 2013, Charles Leclerc progressed to the KZ senior gearbox class, aged 15.

Charles Leclerc opened the season with victory at the South Garda Winter Cup in KZ2.

Charles Leclerc finished twelfth in the WSK Euro Series, and fourth in the WSK Master Series.

Charles Leclerc finished sixth in the European Championship after claiming a podium in the final round at Genk.

Charles Leclerc duelled with rival Verstappen to become the youngest-ever KZ World Champion at Varennes-sur-Allier, with Leclerc finishing runner-up to him.

Charles Leclerc graduated to junior formulae in 2014, signing for Fortec in Formula Renault 2.0, aged 16.

Charles Leclerc debuted in the Alps Series, retiring from both races in the opening round at Imola.

Charles Leclerc achieved his maiden podium finish in the second race at Pau.

Charles Leclerc followed this up with his maiden formula racing victories at Monza, the latter from pole position.

Charles Leclerc finished second to Nyck de Vries in both Mugello races, before claiming points finishes at the season-ending Jerez round.

Charles Leclerc set a track record at Barcelona-Catalunya in pre-season testing.

Charles Leclerc then took further second-placed finishes in both races at the Hungaroring, ending his campaign with three podiums from six starts.

Charles Leclerc graduated to Formula Three in 2015, contesting FIA European F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing amongst a highly-competitive field.

Charles Leclerc claimed an additional three consecutive podiums at the Hockenheimring, winning the rain-affected third race after overtaking Rosenqvist.

Charles Leclerc suffered his first retirement of the season in the second race at Monza after colliding with Jake Dennis, before returning to the podium in the curtailed final race.

Charles Leclerc collided with Lance Stroll in race two at Zandvoort, and had to replace his Dallara F314 chassis.

Charles Leclerc clinched the rookies' championship, having achieved four victories from 13 podium finishes, and Valentin Khorounzhiy of Motorsport.

Charles Leclerc again finished second to Rosenqvist in the Grand Prix, following a race-long battle.

Charles Leclerc described the result as crucial to his "mental strength" after the closing rounds of his F3 season.

In December 2015, Charles Leclerc partook in post-season GP3 testing with ART and Arden, ultimately signing with the former for the 2016 GP3 Series.

Charles Leclerc retired after colliding with Jake Dennis and Tatiana Calderon in race two, receiving a five-place grid penalty.

Subsequently starting seventh at Silverstone, Charles Leclerc recovered to second- and third-placed finishes.

Charles Leclerc took pole at Spa-Francorchamps and held off Dennis to win race one, before finishing sixth in the second race.

Charles Leclerc took his third consecutive pole at Sepang, finishing third and fifth in the races, which extended his championship lead to 29 points over Albon with one round remaining.

Charles Leclerc clinched the title in race one at Yas Marina after Albon retired, with Charles Leclerc suffering race-ending damage himself after colliding with Santino Ferrucci, and dedicated the title to his godfather Jules Bianchi.

Charles Leclerc took pole again in Barcelona, holding off Luca Ghiotto to win his first feature amidst a radio issue, before finishing fourth in the sprint.

Charles Leclerc retired from both races at his home round in Monte Carlo after qualifying on pole, suffering suspension failure in the feature and collision damage with Norman Nato in the sprint.

Charles Leclerc dedicated his pole in Baku to his recently-deceased father Herve, before converting it to victory in the feature and second-place in the sprint, losing the win to Nato at the latter following a 10-second time penalty for ignoring yellow flags.

Charles Leclerc won the Spielberg feature from pole, holding off teammate Fuoco and the DAMS of Nicholas Latifi.

Charles Leclerc collided with the former in the sprint, reducing his championship lead over Oliver Rowland to 49 points midway through the season.

Charles Leclerc achieved a record-equalling sixth consecutive pole at Silverstone, winning the feature amidst multiple reliability issues, including his brakes and exhaust setting on fire.

Charles Leclerc was disqualified from pole in Budapest for a technical infringement, finishing fourth in the feature and sprint after starting the former in last-place, albeit behind title rival Rowland in both.

Charles Leclerc returned to pole at Spa-Francorchamps, but was disqualified from his 25-second winning margin in the feature due to excessive skid block wear.

Charles Leclerc recovered to fifth after starting nineteenth in the sprint.

At the season-ending Yas Island round, Charles Leclerc inherited second-place in the feature after disqualifications for Rowland and teammate Fuoco.

Charles Leclerc was named FIA Rookie of the Year for his efforts in 2017, achieving seven wins from 10 podiums and eight pole positions, finishing 72 points ahead of eventual runner-up Artem Markelov.

In 2016, Charles Leclerc joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and was signed as a development driver for Haas and Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc made his testing debut at Fiorano two months later, driving the Ferrari F14 T As part of his role at Haas, Leclerc participated in the first free practice sessions of the British, Hungarian, German and Brazilian Grands Prix.

Charles Leclerc was initially rumoured to graduate direct to Formula One with Haas after winning the 2016 GP3 Series; team principal Guenther Steiner denied the rumours and stated that Leclerc would instead progress to FIA Formula 2.

Charles Leclerc completed further free practice sessions with Sauber at the Malaysian, United States, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, after signing with the team for 2018.

Charles Leclerc signed for Sauber in 2018 as a full-time driver, replacing Pascal Wehrlein to partner Marcus Ericsson.

Charles Leclerc scored another point by finishing tenth at the Spanish Grand Prix.

At his first home Grand Prix in Monaco, Charles Leclerc suffered a brake failure in the closing laps, colliding with the diffuser of Brendon Hartley into the Nouvelle Chicane and forcing his first career retirement.

Charles Leclerc credited the halo device with saving him from severe injury during the latter, stating that he "was very happy to have it over [his] head".

Charles Leclerc closed his rookie season with three consecutive seventh-placed finishes in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Charles Leclerc finished thirteenth in the World Drivers' Championship, with 39 points to teammate Ericsson's nine, and was again named FIA Rookie of the Year.

Charles Leclerc signed for Ferrari in 2019, swapping seats with Kimi Raikkonen to partner four-time World Drivers' Champion Sebastian Vettel.

Charles Leclerc entered the 2018 post-season test with Ferrari at Yas Marina, setting the fastest time in the SF71H.

Charles Leclerc debuted for the team at the Australian Grand Prix, qualifying and finishing fifth.

In Bahrain, Charles Leclerc took his maiden pole position to become the second-youngest polesitter in Formula One history.

Charles Leclerc led the majority of the race before suffering an engine issue with 10 laps remaining; overtaken by both Mercedes drivers, he finished third, securing his maiden podium finish.

Charles Leclerc dedicated his victory to Anthoine Hubert, who was killed the day prior in FIA Formula 2.

Charles Leclerc took pole again in Singapore and finished second after being undercut by teammate Vettel, promoting him to third in the championship.

Charles Leclerc described the strategy as "unfair", to which team principal Mattia Binotto responded that Vettel was allowed to pit first to defend his position.

In Russia, he took his fourth consecutive pole and finished third, after a virtual safety car saw both Mercedes drivers pass Charles Leclerc with shortened pit stops.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth at the Mexican and United States Grands Prix, inheriting pole at the former after a grid penalty for Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc finished the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in third-place, clinching fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 264 points, 24 ahead of teammate Vettel in fifth.

Charles Leclerc recovered to third-place in the race via several overtakes following the final safety car, promoted to second after a penalty for Lewis Hamilton.

In Styria, Charles Leclerc collided with teammate Sebastian Vettel on the first lap, causing them both to retire.

Charles Leclerc successfully completed a one-stop tyre strategy in the race, finishing fourth after qualifying eighth, stating that it "[felt] like victory".

Charles Leclerc suffered reliability issues at the Spanish and Belgian Grands Prix, retiring from the former and finishing fourteenth at the latter.

Charles Leclerc then finished seven consecutive races in the points from Tuscany to Bahrain, with top-five finishes at the Portuguese, Emilia Romagna and Turkish Grands Prix; at the latter, Leclerc lost a podium finish during a last-lap overtake attempt on Sergio Perez for second, having qualified for the rain-affected race in fourteenth.

Charles Leclerc started the Bahrain Grand Prix in fourth and finished sixth.

Charles Leclerc then finished fourth at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix amidst a radio issue.

Charles Leclerc then finished seventh and eighth at the Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix, respectively.

Charles Leclerc retired from the rain-affected Hungarian Grand Prix after a first-lap collision with Lance Stroll, demoting him to seventh in the championship, below teammate Sainz.

Charles Leclerc finished eighth at the curtailed Belgian Grand Prix, and fifth in the Netherlands.

Charles Leclerc took grid penalties for the Russian Grand Prix, forcing him to start nineteenth; after climbing to third, he was the last to pit for intermediate tyres in changing conditions, demoting him to fifteenth.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth at both the Turkish and United States Grands Prix, leading several laps at the former, before finishing fifth in Mexico City and Sao Paulo.

Charles Leclerc finished second to Verstappen after starting on pole at the Miami Grand Prix.

In Spain, Charles Leclerc took pole again and led the race with a 13-second margin until a power unit failure forced his retirement, handing Verstappen the victory and championship lead.

Charles Leclerc started nineteenth for the Canadian Grand Prix due to an engine grid penalty; he recovered to fifth.

Charles Leclerc then took victory at the Austrian Grand Prix after a battle with Verstappen, returning to second in the standings halfway through the season.

Ferrari struggled to match the performance of Red Bull from the French Grand Prix onwards, where Charles Leclerc started on pole before spinning out of the lead on lap 18 and colliding with a barrier.

Charles Leclerc started fifteenth following a grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he recovered to fifth, demoted to sixth after a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Charles Leclerc took five consecutive podiums from there until the United States Grand Prix, including second-placed finishes from pole in Italy and Singapore; Verstappen clinched the title in Japan.

Charles Leclerc totalled 308 points throughout the season, 146 behind Verstappen and 62 ahead of teammate Sainz in fifth.

Charles Leclerc led the field with nine pole positions, and further achieved three victories from 11 podiums.

Charles Leclerc subsequently took a grid penalty in Saudi Arabia, recovering to seventh after starting twelfth with a ten-position drop.

Charles Leclerc retired from the Australian Grand Prix following a first-lap collision with Lance Stroll.

Charles Leclerc improved to sixth at the Monaco Grand Prix after receiving a three-place grid drop for impeding Lando Norris in qualifying.

Charles Leclerc recovered from tenth to fourth in Canada after a pit stop gamble under the safety car.

Charles Leclerc finished ninth and seventh at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix, respectively, amidst issues with tyre degradation and strategy.

Charles Leclerc achieved another pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix after a grid penalty for Verstappen; he finished third.

Charles Leclerc returned to pole at the United States Grand Prix and finished second in the sprint.

Charles Leclerc fell to sixth in the main race before being disqualified for excessive skid block wear, alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc finished second again in Abu Dhabi, elevating him to fifth in the World Drivers' Championship on 206 points, level with Fernando Alonso in fourth, and six ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.

Charles Leclerc achieved five pole positions and six podiums throughout the season.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Charles Leclerc opted to extend his contract with Ferrari beyond the 2026 regulation changes.

Red Bull remained the front-runners going into the season-opener, where Charles Leclerc vowed he would do "absolutely everything" to contend; he qualified on the front-row, and finished fourth amidst brake issues.

Charles Leclerc became the first Monegasque driver to win the event since Louis Chiron in 1931, and the first in the Formula One World Championship.

Charles Leclerc retired from the Canadian Grand Prix with power unit issues.

Charles Leclerc received widespread acclaim for his surprise victory at the Italian Grand Prix, completing a one-stop strategy to secure Ferrari's first home win since 2019.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth in Singapore, before taking his third victory of the season at the United States Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc is partnered by seven-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Charles Leclerc finished eighth at the rain-affected Australian Grand Prix after a strategic error, and was disqualified from fifth in China after his SF-25 was found to be underweight.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth at both the Japanese and Bahrain Grands Prix amidst performance concerns, before claiming his first podium of the season with third-place in Saudi Arabia.

Charles Leclerc aquaplaned into the barriers during the reconnaissance lap for the Miami Grand Prix sprint, later qualifying eighth for the main race.

Charles Leclerc has a strong qualifying history in Formula One, where he holds the record for most pole positions without a World Championship.

Charles Leclerc holds the record in either FIA Formula 2 or its predecessor GP2 for the most pole positions in a season.

Charles Leclerc's driving style tends to favour a car with oversteer, allowing for precise micro-corrections and high cornering speeds, which has aided his qualifying pace.

Charles Leclerc became the youngest recipient of the FIA Pole Trophy in 2019 for achieving the most pole positions, a feat he repeated in 2022.

Charles Leclerc has been noted by critics for his proficiency in wheel-to-wheel racing.

Charles Leclerc was praised for his first-corner overtake on Bottas at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, with Jonathan Noble of Motorsport.

Charles Leclerc received acclaim for his battle with Verstappen at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, noted for his effective use of the drag reduction system.

Charles Leclerc was praised by Hamilton after their battle at the 2022 British Grand Prix, where Leclerc overtook him around the outside of Copse on older tyres.

Charles Leclerc was further acclaimed for his tyre management at the Italian Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc has been criticised for race-ending mistakes throughout his early seasons in Formula One, particularly at the 2020 Italian, 2020 Sakhir, and 2022 French Grands Prix; he was further penalised for causing a collision with Verstappen at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc wore a tribute helmet to Bianchi at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, the tenth anniversary of his fatal accident.

Charles Leclerc wore a tribute for departing teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.

In partnership with Ferrari, Charles Leclerc made his voice acting debut in the Italian-language version of Pixar's Toy Story animated spin-off film Lightyear.

Charles Leclerc began playing the piano aged six, before committing to the instrument during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Charles Leclerc released further singles for the Miami and Monaco Grands Prix, titled "MIA23 " and "MON23 ", respectively.

Charles Leclerc used production software to pair his piano notes with violin.

Charles Leclerc has been partnered with Swiss luxury watch company Richard Mille since 2009, who supported him through his kart racing and junior formulae career.

Charles Leclerc has been sponsored by Bell Helmets throughout his career.

Charles Leclerc launched his own go-kart brand in 2019, as part of a collaboration with Birel ART.

In 2020, Charles Leclerc became an endorsement model for Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani.

Charles Leclerc was named an ambassador of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in 2018, helping to promote the benefits of learning to swim.

Charles Leclerc is trilingual: he is fluent in French, Italian, and English.

From 2019 to 2022, Charles Leclerc was in a relationship with Monegasque architect and influencer Charlotte Sine, daughter of the then-director general of the Societe des Bains de Mer de Monaco.

Charles Leclerc served as a torchbearer for the Monegasque leg ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, alongside Alexandra Coletti, Xiaoxin Yang, Rudy Rinaldi, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

Charles Leclerc owns several Ferrari cars, including custom versions of the SF90 XX, Daytona SP3, and Purosangue.