Curse? What curse? Charles Leclerc, the Monaco Grand Prix winner, showed a positive shift in demeanor, taking everything from Harry Potter jokes to intense media scrutiny in stride.
Leclerc, seen as a top contender for the Monaco Grand Prix win, had a supposed ‘Monaco curse’ looming over him. But this time, he shattered it. After clinching pole position for the third time at Monte Carlo, he finally converted it into a long-awaited victory, marking his first win of the 2024 F1 season.
Tom Clarkson, F1 press conference host, noticed a transformation in Leclerc even before the race. During a chaotic press conference, other drivers teased Leclerc about his love for Harry Potter and his childhood resemblance to the character. Despite the banter and relentless media attention, Leclerc remained calm and collected.
Clarkson remarked, ‘I just felt there was something different about him this weekend… The way he dealt with that was just so calm, and he let them all laugh at him. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s had the media hounding him, the local media in particular. I can’t imagine how many signatures he’s signed or selfies he’s taken this weekend, yet everything, he’s taken in his stride.’
Leclerc’s approach to the so-called ‘Monaco curse’ mirrored this newfound composure. After his victory, he stated, ‘I never believed in the curse… However, it always felt very difficult in the two occasions I had to win here. One [2021] I couldn’t even start the race. The second one, [2022] we didn’t make the right choice, I think, so it was very, very frustrating to lose those wins.’
Leclerc continued, ‘And the thing is that, as a driver, you never really know when will be the next opportunity to win, especially when it’s your home race and even more so when your home race is Monaco, that is such a special track, such a difficult track and such a difficult weekend to master and to do everything perfectly. Which we did.’
He added, ‘So I knew that today was another opportunity… I obviously really wanted to get that victory today and so there was a bit of tension. But as I’ve said, as soon as I put the helmet and then as soon as I get into the car, I don’t feel anything anymore, and then it’s all about trying to maximise the car that you have, thinking about the tyres and thinking about all this stuff that I had to think of to manage this race the best way possible.’
Leclerc’s victory has brought him within 31 points of Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc’s calm and collected attitude in the face of chaos and media frenzy has not only shattered the so-called Monaco curse but also brought him closer to the top of the championship standings.
Source: Planetf1
