Leclerc wants to break Monaco’s ‘curse’ but won’t take any chances this time

Last year Ferrari was not a star in Formula 1 and Charles Leclerc had to risk a lot to secure a front row seat.

However, he exceeded the limit and on his last flying lap, he hit the wall of the Monaco circuit pool area, damaging the Ferrari SF21’s gearbox and repairing it only the next morning. So it didn’t even start.

Things went badly for the Ferrari driver at the Monaco Grand Prix. In 2018 he retired due to a problem with the brakes, in 2019 he crashed into the guard rails, in 2021 the above happened, while in 2020 the race was canceled due to the pandemic.

In theory, Ferrari has a very important advantage over these three days: its superior speed in slow corners compared to the Red Bull RB18 – which on the contrary has a superior top speed on the straights.

Nor is Scuderia concerned about the reliability issue of their power unit that robbed Monegasco of apparent victory at last Sunday’s Spanish GP. According to the Italian team, without giving many details, the problem in the MGU-H electric motor and turbo was not caused by a design flaw, but by an external factor.

In fact, you don’t need to worry now, as the MGU-H and Monegasque Turbo were their second examples this year. Each driver has three copies of these components available throughout the season, meaning the Scuderia will have to place either the ones he had before Spain or their third copies in Leclerc’s F1-75 – risking one later in the season fourth set to needing year. And every set after the third marks a penalty spot at the start.

Back at the upcoming Monaco GP, Charles Leclerc told France’s L’Equipe that he wanted to win at home, break his ‘curse’ at home but not risk like last year this time. “I like street circuses, I like flirting with risks,” he said.

Last year I took a big risk to win pole position because I knew it would take a miracle to get on the front row – and I ended up in the wall. This time I won’t risk so much because I understand that points are very important for the championship. But on the other hand, I will not change my approach and will keep the traditions – especially the fact that I will sleep at home”, closed.

As a result, Leclerc is determined to pursue a more conservative strategy this year, which usually seems necessary in the marathon for victory: “All I want is to win the championship with Ferrari. It doesn’t matter if I do it against Lewis (Hamilton), Max (Ferstappen) or anyone. I want to bring Ferrari back to the top.” he continued.

The 24-year-old ended up at the end“Of course I want to win the game in those three days – Monaco is my homeland. That’s where I went to school. When I competed as a kid, the teachers wondered why I wasn’t in class. That would be great Win here, ahead for my family, for my friends and for everyone who believed in me.