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The 2023 F1 Monaco GP race week has begun and the phrase 'Charles Leclerc Monaco Curse' will be thrown around a lot this week.
In case you didn't know about this phrase, we're here to help you out! The Ferrari driver, a resident of the principality, has been a victim of this mystical curse far too many times since he debuted in F1. So much so that the phrase has got a life of its own.
In this piece, we will take you chronologically through the five instances that have given birth to the Charles Leclerc Monaco Curse. After going through these instances (year on year, mind you), whether you think this is a curse or not is your call, but there is a chance you might be aligned to calling it one.
Charles Leclerc has been one of the best drivers on the grid ever since he made his debut in F1 in 2018. Despite that, the driver has been guilty of suffering a heartbreak more than once on this track in these years.
Let's take a look at what this curse is all about.
The Charles Leclerc Monaco GP curse
#1 2018 F1 Monaco GP
Charles Leclerc debuted in F1 with Sauber, a midfield team at best at the time, and in his first-ever F1 Monaco GP, he was on course for points.
Unfortunately (warning: this word is going to be repeated multiple times in this article), with only a few laps left in the race, disaster struck. He suffered a brake failure and crashed into the back of Toro Rosso's Brendan Hartley.
The young driver had extracted the best that was possible from that car, but as luck would have it, he ended the race empty-handed. It was merely a sign of things to come...
#2 2019 F1 Monaco GP
By 2019, Charles Leclerc's impressive debut season had seen him get promoted to Ferrari. With him driving for one of the most iconic brands in F1, there was a lot of anticipation about what the young driver could do in his home race.
Despite having a four-time world champion in Sebastian Vettel as his teammate, Charles Leclerc was the Ferrari driver tipped to be the leader in Monaco that year.
This belief got further exemplified by Leclerc's stunning speed during practice sessions. The Ferrari driver was tipped for a pole position in his home race heading into qualifying.
Unfortunately, disaster struck yet again. Ferrari, a team notorious for putting together somewhat erroneous strategies cost Leclerc dearly as he was eliminated in Q1. As a result, he had his entire weekend compromised.
In a bid to make up places during the race, he ended up making contact with Nico Hulkenberg while trying to pull off a very aggressive maneuver.
The car damage meant continuing the race was out of the question as Charles Leclerc suffered another DNF. This meant in two outings at his home race, Leclerc had disappointingly suffered two DNFs.
#3 2021 F1 Monaco GP
F1 returned to Monaco in 2021 after missing out due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
This time around, though, nobody expected Charles Leclerc to be a factor. Ferrari did not have a front-running car this season as the team was suffering from a compromised power unit.
However, to the surprise of many, the qualifying session turned into a four-way battle between Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. With all four teams having some sensational talents, who would grab pole position was anybody's guess.
When push came to shove, it was Charles Leclerc that secured the pole for the race with a spectacular lap. In Q3, Leclerc's first lap put him on provisional pole, and then when he crashed out on his second lap, it meant no other driver could improve their lap time.
Securing pole position in a car that was arguably the third or fourth fastest car on that track was a very impressive feat. This was especially admirable as he beat championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen en route to securing pole position.
Unfortunately though, just before the race even began, a gearbox issue was discovered which meant Leclerc could not even start the race. This was understandably heartbreaking for the Ferrari driver after securing pole position with a stunning lap.
What this also did, however, was give Leclerc yet another bad-tasting memory in Monaco. The driver now had three retirements in three outings at the F1 Monaco GP, once again emphasizing that things just didn't seem to work for him at his home race.
#2 2022 Historical Monaco GP
The Historical Monaco GP featured Charles Leclerc driving triple world champion Niki Lauda's Ferrari. At the end of his demonstration lap, however, Leclerc lost the rear of the car and ended up in the barriers.
What was almost comic in this instance was the fact that the young driver could not catch a break even during an exhibition race on the track in Monaco.
#1 2022 F1 Monaco GP
The 2022 F1 Monaco GP brought about the most recent and arguably the most painful example of the Charles Leclerc Monaco Curse.
Last season, Leclerc was in a title fight against Max Verstappen. Coming to his home race, he did what is expected from any top driver. He qualified his car on pole position and got off to a perfect start to the race, holding a comfortable lead. Alas, disaster struck once again.
This time around it was Ferrari's disastrous strategy that caused his downfall in Monaco. The strategy not only took away his lead, but also left him in a situation where the best result he could achieve was P4.
On a bright note, it was the first time in four attempts that Leclerc had scored points in Monaco. However, it was no consolation for the driver as he had just lost out on winning his home race for the very first time once again.
Leclerc is undoubtedly a talented driver and has been putting together one spectacular performance after the other. However, he has just been unable to cross the final hurdle in Monaco.
Why is that? Is it luck? Is it a coincidence? Or is it just a curse? Drop your comments below and let us know what you think.
