It was an extremely emotional day in Monaco for Charles Leclerc on Sunday, as he became the first Monegasque driver in 93 years to win the Monaco Grand Prix and became a hero in his home country.
Leclerc led the race from start to finish, and with victory in sight, the emotions were flowing for him and the crowd, and in that moment announcer Alex Jacque put together a great narration of the final lap that summed up just how much this win meant to Leclerc.
Honest warning: this is a heart-string-tugging story.
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Charles Leclerc will compete in the Monaco F1 Grand Prix to be held in Monte Carlo on May 26, 2024. (Arnold Gerocki/FilmMagic)
“In 2017, Charles Leclerc lost his father,” Jacques said, “and in his last days he lied to his father, saying he was in F1, that he had signed a contract. It wasn’t true at the time, but his driving makes it true now.”
Speaking on the podium after the race, Leclerc said he was thinking about his father, Herve Leclerc, who died aged 54 while Charles was making the transition from F2 racing to F1.
“The emotions were already building,” Leclerc said. “I have to say I was thinking: [about] My dad did a lot more for me while driving than I ever expected.
“He’s done everything he could to get me here. It’s unbelievable because it was our dream for me to race here and win.”
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Jacques continued speaking beautifully after mentioning Leclerc’s father.
“Now look what he has done with this opportunity,” he said. “The grandstands he saw built as a child are now standing for him. For the first time in 93 years, this legendary race has been won by one of them. Charles Leclerc has won the Monaco Grand Prix and made a dream come true!”
Jack made sure to preface his comments with a story about the late Jules Bianchi, whom Leclerc paid tribute to earlier this year, ten years after his tragic death at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, where he died from injuries sustained on the final lap on a wet track.
Charles Leclerc drives a cigarette in the Ferrari SF-24 during the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monaco Circuit on May 26, 2024. (Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images)
Bianchi was a mentor to whom Leclerc has always thanked for his career success.
“His career would have ended without the intervention of the late Jules Bianchi, who said to Ferrari: ‘We have to hire this guy, we have to make sure he gets promoted to F1’. It was a really great gift,” Jacques said.
It was the perfect phrase to sum up everything Leclerc had worked for to break the “curse” of no teammate winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after winning the F1 Grand Prix on May 26, 2024. (Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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It meant more than just crossing another finish line.
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