(Motorsport) Monaco is one of the most iconic tracks in the Formula 1 grid and more so for Charles Leclerc, who grew up on the very streets the race is contested in. The Monegasque driver has had terrible luck at his home track though, failing to finish the race in each of his first three appearances while a poor strategy call by Ferrari stopped him from winning the race last year. This time around, Leclerc and Ferrari are struggling to get the best out of the car and both will hope to have better luck at the track.

Ferrari were expected to challenge for both the Drivers and Constructors title this season but have failed to do so, managing just one podium along with two seventh place finishes and two retirements. After the highs of last year, Ferrari has fallen behind the pecking order, not just to Red Bull Racing but also Aston Martin and Mercedes but will hope that new upgrades can make a big difference in the upcoming race.

Monaco is a street circuit, which means that it is extremely difficult to overtake given how narrow the tracks are, which means finishing on pole is very important. Leclerc will hope to have a good qualifying session to put himself in the best possible position to win the race next Sunday.

Leclerc’s bad luck in Monaco goes all the way back to his Formula 2 days. In 2017, he finished 18th in the sprint race and retired in the featured race, which was his worst finish of the year. He then progressed to Formula 1 and raced for Alfa Romeo, where he was forced to retire again due to brake failure at the Monaco Grand Prix. In his first season at Ferrari, he finished sixth and in 2021 he crashed into the wall during qualifying, which ruled him out of the race itself. 

In 2022, Leclerc had the car to win his home Grand Prix but heavy rain meant that the race was delayed by an hour. A strategy error resulted in him losing out on third place to Max Verstappen and what made it worse was that the two were fighting for the world championship at that time. All things considered, it can’t get any worse for Leclerc and the Monegasque driver will hope to turn things around after a mediocre season so far.

Also read: Formula 1: Mercedes to implement W14 upgrades at Monaco Grand Prix next week