Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands Prix across eight seasons.
Born and raised in Monte Carlo, Leclerc began competitive kart racing aged seven. After a successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the junior direct-drive World Cup in 2011—Leclerc graduated to junior formulae. Progressing directly to Formula Renault 2.0, he finished runner-up to Nyck de Vries in the Alps Series and achieved several podium finishes in the Eurocup. Leclerc graduated to FIA European Formula 3 in, winning several races as he finished fourth in his rookie season. He won his first championship at the 2016 GP3 Series with ART. Leclerc then won the inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship in with Prema, becoming the fourth driver to win the GP2/F2 championship in their rookie season and breaking several records.
Leclerc made his Formula One debut in with Sauber as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, scoring several points finishes in the C37. He joined Ferrari for to partner Sebastian Vettel and became the second-youngest polesitter in Formula One history at the ; he took his maiden career win in Belgium, before ending Ferrari's record nine-year drought at the, which saw him nicknamed "il Predestinato" in Italian media. After winless seasons for Ferrari in and, Leclerc took several victories and finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in the World Drivers' Championship. Following five pole positions and six podiums in his campaign, Leclerc won the in, becoming the first Monégasque driver to win the race in 93 years; he achieved further victories in Italy and the United States as he finished third in the championship.
As of the, Leclerc has achieved race wins, fastest laps, and podiums in Formula One; he also holds the record for the most pole positions without a World Drivers' Championship. Leclerc is contracted to remain at Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season. Outside of motor racing, Leclerc collaborated with pianist Sofiane Pamart on an extended play, Dreamers, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.
Early life
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc was born on 16 October 1997 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. His father, Hervé Leclerc, was a racing driver who competed in Formula Three in the 1980s and 1990s, whilst his mother, Pascale Leclerc, is a former hairdresser who operated a hair salon in Fontvieille. His paternal step-grandfather founded the Novares Group, a French manufacturing company; he helped cover miscellaneous costs throughout Leclerc's karting career, but not the racing itself. Leclerc studied at the Lycée Albert Premier in Monaco-Ville.Hervé died after a long illness, aged 54, four days before Leclerc won the feature race at the 2017 Baku Formula 2 round. Prior to his death, Leclerc lied to his father that he had signed a Formula One contract for the season; he signed with Sauber later that year. His older maternal half-brother, Lorenzo Tolotta-Leclerc, was best friends with Jules Bianchi—Leclerc's godfather until his death in 2015 and his mechanic in kart racing. His younger brother, Arthur, is also a racing driver who has competed in open-wheel and sportscar racing, winning the Formula Regional Asian Championship in 2022.
Junior racing career
Karting (2005–2013)
2005–2009: Early success in national championships
Leclerc first began karting aged five and started racing at Brignoles—a kart circuit owned by Jules Bianchi's father. He began his competitive career in 2005, winning the regional PACA championship in the Mini class with 15 wins from 18 races, which he successfully defended in 2006. He advanced to Minime in 2007, winning the Trophée Claude Secq and finishing runner-up at the PACA championship. The following year, he finished fifth in the Bridgestone Cup and runner-up in the French Championship, as well as winning the PACA title. Progressing to the Cadet class in 2009, Leclerc won the French Championship and Bridgestone Cup, as well as the regional Rhône-Alpes title. He partnered with Richard Mille that year, which supported him through the remainder of his karting career.2010–2011: Progression to international series
Leclerc progressed to international competition in 2010, entering the junior KF3 class, where he became the youngest winner of the CIK-FIA Monaco Kart Cup—his home event at the Circuit de Monaco. He finished twenty-ninth on his World Cup debut, fifth in the inaugural Academy Trophy, and runner-up to Pierre Gasly in the French Championship. Leclerc was scouted by Nicolas Todt in 2011, joining his All Road Management firm upon recommendation from Bianchi. Todt negotiated his move to Intrepid that year, winning the World Cup at Sarno; he later described it as "by far best karting race ever". He further won the Academy Trophy and the Masters of Paris-Bercy, as well as finishing runner-up to Nicklas Nielsen in the WSK Final Cup.2012–2013: Senior titles with ART
Leclerc graduated to the senior KF2 category in 2012 with the factory-backed ART Grand Prix team, winning the WSK Euro Series; he was involved in an incident with Max Verstappen at the second round, which resulted in both drivers' disqualifications. He finished runner-up on his European Championship debut amidst a title battle with Verstappen and Ben Barnicoat, repeating this result at the under-18 World Championship, where he lost by a single point. He achieved fifth-placed finishes in both the World Cup and WSK Final Cup, and fourth at the SKUSA SuperNationals.In 2013, Leclerc progressed to the KZ senior gearbox class, aged 15. He opened the season with victory at the South Garda Winter Cup in KZ2. He finished twelfth in the WSK Euro Series, and fourth in the WSK Master Series. Leclerc finished sixth in the European Championship after claiming a podium in the final round at Genk. In a duel to become the youngest-ever KZ World Champion, he finished runner-up to Verstappen at Varennes-sur-Allier. Upon his graduation to junior formulae, Leclerc credited their "numerous clashes" with boosting his experience and character. Kartcom opined that "his rise meteoric for a driver who spend much time training on the track".
Formula Renault 2.0 (2014)
Leclerc graduated to junior formulae in 2014, signing for Fortec in Formula Renault 2.0, aged 16. He debuted in the Alps Series, retiring from both races in the opening round at Imola. He achieved his maiden podium finish in the second race at Pau. After fourth-placed finishes at the Red Bull Ring, Leclerc scored a double podium during the Spa-Francorchamps round. He followed this up with his maiden formula racing victories at Monza, the latter from pole position. He finished second to Nyck de Vries in both Mugello races before claiming points finishes at the season-ending Jerez round. During the season, Leclerc took two victories from seven podium finishes as he finished runner-up to De Vries—a third-year Formula Renault 2.0 driver—and beat Matevos Isaakyan to the rookies' championship.Fortec also entered Leclerc into select rounds of the Eurocup, part of the World Series by Renault, as a guest driver. He set a track record at Barcelona-Catalunya in pre-season testing. After finishing outside of the points on debut at Spa-Francorchamps, Leclerc took his maiden podium in the series at the Nürburgring, finishing second to Dennis Olsen. He then took further second-placed finishes in both races at the Hungaroring, ending his campaign with three podiums from six starts.
Formula Three (2015)
Leclerc graduated to Formula Three in 2015, contesting FIA European F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing amongst a highly-competitive field. In the opening round at Silverstone, he inherited pole position for the second and third races after Felix Rosenqvist was excluded for a technical infringement. After finishing twelfth on debut, he clinched second in race two followed by his maiden victory amidst a race-long battle with Antonio Giovinazzi. Leclerc claimed an additional three consecutive podiums at the Hockenheimring, winning the rain-affected third race after overtaking Rosenqvist. He increased his run to eight consecutive podiums at Pau, including a third-placed finish at the Pau Grand Prix—the final race of the weekend. He suffered his first retirement of the season in the second race at Monza after colliding with Jake Dennis, before returning to the podium in the curtailed final race. With his victory in the first race at Spa-Francorchamps from sixth on the grid—following a three-way battle with Rosenqvist and Giovinazzi—Leclerc took the championship lead; he achieved a further podium in race three.With a victory from pole followed by another podium at the Norisring, Leclerc held a 42.5-point lead over Giovinazzi after six rounds. Leclerc collided with Lance Stroll in race two at Zandvoort and had to replace his Dallara F314 chassis. From that point onwards, Leclerc did not score a single podium across the remaining four rounds, with fourth-placed finishes at the Red Bull Ring and Nürburgring, as he slipped to fourth in the standings—behind Rosenqvist, Giovinazzi, and Dennis. He clinched the rookies' championship, having achieved four victories from 13 podium finishes, and Valentin Khorounzhiy of Motorsport.com ranked him the best driver of the season. Following his European F3 campaign, Leclerc entered the Macau Grand Prix with Van Amersfoort. After qualifying third, Leclerc finished second to Felix Rosenqvist in the qualification race after a penalty for Antonio Giovinazzi, which set the grid for the main race. Leclerc again finished second to Rosenqvist in the Grand Prix, following a race-long battle. After the race, he described the result as crucial to his "mental strength" following a challenging end to his F3 season.