It speaks volumes about how well the Monaco Grand Prix weekend was going for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc that he wasn’t happy with a front-row start for Sunday’s race.

Charles Leclerc had dominated proceedings throughout the free practice sessions, topping each of the three hour-long runs on the streets of his home race.

Ferrari came into the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with their expectations set very low.

One of their weak points throughout the season has been navigating slow corners, with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both struggling through some of the tighter turns at Imola.

Leclerc could hardly keep his car on the track at the Variante Alta chicane last weekend, but Monaco has been an entirely different story for the team.

The Monegasque driver will start from the front row of the grid for Sunday’s race and was gutted that Lando Norris’ track record denied him pole position.

Andrea Stella has pinpointed why Norris beat Leclerc on his final run in qualifying, but the Ferrari driver’s fans were still amazed by what they saw while watching his onboard camera during the session.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at the hairpin at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

 

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Photo by Mario Renzi - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Features

FeaturedFeaturesCharles LeclercFerrariMonaco Grand Prix

F1 fans say Charles Leclerc did something just like Michael Schumacher after watching his onboard during Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Ben Evans

It speaks volumes about how well the Monaco Grand Prix weekend was going for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc that he wasn’t happy with a front-row start for Sunday’s race.

Charles Leclerc had dominated proceedings throughout the free practice sessions, topping each of the three hour-long runs on the streets of his home race.

Ferrari came into the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with their expectations set very low.

One of their weak points throughout the season has been navigating slow corners, with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both struggling through some of the tighter turns at Imola.

Leclerc could hardly keep his car on the track at the Variante Alta chicane last weekend, but Monaco has been an entirely different story for the team.

The Monegasque driver will start from the front row of the grid for Sunday’s race and was gutted that Lando Norris’ track record denied him pole position.

Andrea Stella has pinpointed why Norris beat Leclerc on his final run in qualifying, but the Ferrari driver’s fans were still amazed by what they saw while watching his onboard camera during the session.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at the hairpin at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

F1 fans amazed by Charles Leclerc’s performance at Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Sky Sports Italia provided some insight while watching Leclerc’s onboard compared to Max Verstappen.

They explained that going into the tight hairpins, the Dutchman always keeps two hands on the steering wheel.

However, Leclerc has developed a technique throughout his years racing at the circuit which is ‘unique’.

He takes his left hand off the steering wheel completely and supports the bottom of the wheel, a technique that prompted one fan to say on X: “Schumacher did the same.”

Another fan declared, “Leclerc’s onboard in Monaco is a real treat,” while one response said, “‘We are onboard with Charles Leclerc’, can we go offboard, I feel sick to my stomach watching him drive.”

“Charles driving like a mad man, performing magic, then being frustrated that he’s not on pole, sulking while looking like a top model. Just another day for a Leclerc fan,” highlighted one supporter.

Another fan was extremely impressed and said, “Leclerc’s driving Monaco like it’s coded in his DNA. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s out here testing the strength of the barriers.”

Another fan reacted to his performance in qualifying and explained, “Fascinating, it is clear that Leclerc’s driving is smooth, precise and under control. Lando is darting all over the shop with a very fast car. Imagine Leclerc, Verstappen or Lewis driving the McLaren… the season would be done. Lando has a lot of work to do on his driving skills.”

Charles Leclerc explains Monaco Grand Prix qualifying ‘disappointment’ despite P2 start

Leclerc has been cursed at Monaco in the past and should have been far more successful than he has been on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Speaking after the session in his official media session, Leclerc said: “Our expectations for this weekend weren’t particularly high, so finishing at the top of the FPs was a positive sign.

“Unfortunately, this brings some disappointment with it, not having taken pole today. It should be an interesting race tomorrow.

“There will be strategic games between the teams with the mandatory two-stop, and it’s possible that we will find some cars from further down the grid in the mix, so it should be exciting and I can’t wait to race on my home streets again.”

Leclerc won’t be able to rely on Hamilton to act as a second gunner on Sunday after his unfortunate three-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen due to a miscommunication on the team radio.

However, he’ll also know that he’s potentially one decent strategy call from Ferrari away from winning his home race for a second year in a row.