Leclerc: Pizza Margherita with prosciutto crudo. Never pineapple!
F1 NewsSaturday, 01 June 2024 at 12:34
Was the secret to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finally winning his home race - the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix - the Pizza Margherita with prosciutto crudo he had for Saturday night dinner?
Whatever the case, it certainly was part of the build-up to a long-awaited victory. The destruction of Leclerc's home town 'jinx' on the streets of Monte Carlo. On Sunday 26 May 2024, the Prince of the Principality became King of Monaco.
As for the Pizza... After Qualifying on pole and with it, ultimately, sealing the win as Sunday's race was a procession, with one overtake all race long albeit outside of the points. Hence the top ten finished the GP as they ended in Qualifying. No change at all, hence it was victory attained during the final 12 minutes of Q3 on Saturday.
After claiming P1 for the start, asked by reporters if he had a good night after the fanfare that followed, Leclerc revealed: "I did. I actually slept really well. I ate like crazy Saturday night. I actually got too late at home and I couldn't cook.
"So I ordered my favourite pizza, which is not the best preparation to race normally. But I was like, ‘OK, maybe mentally it will help me to take the pressure off a little bit’. And yeah, that's it. I slept really well."
At which point he was inevitably quizzed: "What is your favourite pizza?" The winner of the 81st Grand Prix de Monaco replied: "Pizza Margherita with prosciutto crudo. Never pineapple!"
Home town hero Charles was mobbed wherever he went
Although a great day for Leclerc, it was also a damp squib of a 'race' on Sunday. After an enthralling practice build-up and mega-Qualifying session a day earlier, the procession that ensued on race day was anti-climatic to say the least. But that's been the case for many GPs at the venue, exacerbated in this era by today's long and heavy F1 cars.
That's Monaco for You. 'You' being F1 Noobs who think that F1 is that fabulous 2021 season on repeat. However, this did not detract from the occasion and the Principality's favourite son who led home McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz making it a double podium for Ferrari.
After his sixth GP victory, probably his sweetest, Leclerc rewound his famous Sunday: "The parade laps already were special, on the bus, and seeing so many of my friends on the balcony, so many people I know on the balcony, and it was just very, very special.
"Where I struggled most to actually contain my emotions was during the last 10 laps of the race. More than on the podium. I realised actually two laps to the end that I was struggling to see out of the tunnel just because I had tears in my eyes.
And I was like, ‘f@ck, Charles, you cannot do that now. You still have two laps to finish!
"And especially on a track like Monaco, you have to be on it all the way to the end. It was very difficult to contain those emotions, those thoughts again, of the people that have helped me to get to where I am today.
"It's only a win. The season is still very, very long. It's 25 points like any other wins. However, emotionally, this one means so much. And I think the fact as well that we started twice on pole position in the past and that we couldn't manage to get the win for one reason or another."
As for the 'Leclerc-Monaco Jinx' the local hero said: "I never believed in the curse. However, it always felt very difficult in the two occasions I had to win here. One, I couldn't even start the race. The second one, we didn't make the right choice, I think.
"It was very, very frustrating to lose those wins. The thing is that as a driver you never really know when will be the next opportunity to win and 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.
"So I knew that today was another opportunity. I knew how it felt the last two times I was in this position, But I obviously really wanted to get that victory today, so there's a bit of tension. But as I've said., as soon as I put the helmet on and 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 the stuff that I had to think of to manage this race the best way possible. So it's more the moments before the race and before putting the helmet on."
Ayrton Senna and Charles Leclerc
Speaking of helmets, Leclerc was pursued all day by the McLaren of Piastri running a Ayrton Senna tribute livery depicting the colours of the great Brazilian's iconic yellow helmet.
The spirit of Senna prevailed throughout the weekend at Imola of course, and loomed over Monaco as it was the 30th year since the 1994 Monaco GP, the one the Brazilain missed. He was killed at the previous race that year, during the San Marino Grand Prix, a day after Roland Ratzenberger lost his life during Qualifying at Imola that year.
Asked about the significance of winning the race where Senna won a record six times, Leclerc said: "Ayrton has always been my idol and he was incredibly special in Monaco. And I think that probably the first time my father spoke to me about Ayrton, he told me to go and look this onboard of him driving around the streets of Monaco and I was like ‘oh my God, that's crazy!’
"And from that day onwards then obviously I knew more and more growing up, more and more about Ayrton and that added to the fact that he was just becoming more and more my idol. But the fact he was so special in Monaco was incredible to see. To win in Monaco now myself as well, is amazing."
Winning Monaco was my dream and my father's dream
Inevitably Leclerc's late father Hervé had to be mentioned: :[He] was very much in my mind. As I said, I think in every race I have done, there's been not one race where I was thinking about this kind of personal stuff inside the car, because you've got to stay on it.
"Maybe Baku in 2017. Obviously, everything was still very fresh for me, so it was difficult to manage mentally. However, it's probably the first time in my career that it happened again while driving, where you've got these flashbacks of all these moments that we have spent together, all the sacrifices that he did for me to get to where I am."
Leclerc continued: "It's not only my dream, but it was both of our dreams to get there. And obviously, my whole family was supporting and was obviously dreaming of that moment, which makes it even more special. But yeah, that was, again, as I said earlier, probably the moment that was the most difficult to manage."
An emotional day for Prince Albert II of Monaco
Emotions were high at the Principality, Prince Albert II particularly so as Leclerc noticed: "The Prince was very emotional. We have known each other for a very long time.
"Actually, I remember when I was 12 or 13 years old, we got to the palace for the first time with my father to try and have some support with my career which was just starting to be a bit more serious.
"Since then he has always kept an eye on my career, has always supported me, has always had nice words in very good moments, but also in moments that were much more difficult, and I think the fact that he has seen me growing up and all the support that he has given me over the years made it quite emotional for me and also for him.
"Yeah, this one means a lot. And the support that I've had over the weekend means a huge amount. So thank you. Thank you so much to everybody," concluded the King of Monaco on his most famous day.
Leclerc joins the only other Monagasque to win the Grand Prix de Monaco - Louis Chiron. Although the latter did so in 1931 before the FIA regulated F1 races into the World Championship we have now.
(Additional Quotes by Agnes Carlier in Monaco)
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