Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc put in a brilliant effort to secure second starting place in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix and grab another podium finish on home soil, but he was still left frustrated to miss out on a potential second victory at his home race.
Leclerc realized his childhood dream last year when he won his home race at Monte Carlo. Although the Monegasque usually excels around the narrow and twisty streets of the Principality, he had arrived at his home race in a pessimistic mood given Ferrari’s up-and-down season.
Despite his low expectations, the 27-year-old displayed eye-catching pace through the practice sessions, setting the benchmark in all three one-hour outings.
The Ferrari driver continued to impress in qualifying, but he failed to beat Lando Norris and was left in second place. Despite the introduction of the mandatory two-stop strategy for this year’s Monte Carlo round, there was no change at the front, with Leclerc coming home second behind the his McLaren rival.
Asked if he still felt happy with the result, Leclerc conceded that he lost the victory in qualifying where he failed to convert his practice pace into pole position.
“Not really, but at the end of the day we lost the race yesterday. We should have done a better job. Lando did a better job this weekend and he deserves the win.
“On my side, I realised a childhood dream last year, not this year, but considering everything I think it’s a lot above our expectations coming here.
“I thought that being in the top 10 would be a challenge. In the end we are second, very close to P1, so it’s been a good weekend overall – but I wish I won.”
Back on the podium and it feels good 👊 especially at home 🫶 pic.twitter.com/pTCAuEE7X9
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 25, 2025
Despite the introduction of a mandatory two-stop strategy for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, it was a fairly processional race for the frontrunners. However, the closing stages of the 78-lap race saw Leclerc close in on Norris, putting huge pressure on the McLaren driver, albeit he never had a real chance of making the crucial pass.
“It was good as well from inside the car, because before that it was a little bit boring. I had to leave a gap to Lando because otherwise I would have overheated everything, so I couldn’t be so close.
“Then when I saw Max was playing the long game, I guess he was waiting for a red flag, and that helped me a little bit to put a bit more pressure on Lando, but it was not enough.”
As for the importance of his home race, he commented: “As I always say, as Ferrari drivers we are very lucky, we get support everywhere, but being born here and seeing all the Monegasque [people] behind me is something very special.
“We are not many Monegasques, but it warms my heart very much to be at home and have so much support. I wish I had given them the first place, but hopefully next year.”
F1GP Monaco
