Home town hero Charles Leclerc came into the paddock this morning sporting a very Monegasque look: the usual red polo shirt, but a special limited-edition hat from Puma celebrating the Monaco GP, while white trousers meant he was the perfect manifestation of his country’s flag colours. Much in demand for selfies, autographs and a quick chat, Leclerc is nevertheless focussed on the track action that gets underway tomorrow. “Obviously I’m very happy to be here,” he said when facing the media in the official Thursday conference. “The team is ready to do its best because we want to do well in front of the fans, mine and Ferrari’s, of which there are many here. The key will be to prepare well for qualifying and the race and what happens tomorrow will be very important in that regard.”
Step by step. The Monegasque went on to explain the best approach to do well at his home track, which winds through the narrow streets, requiring the drivers to get to within millimetres of the guard rails and barriers to post a competitive time. “Here in Monaco it’s important to do a lot of laps: it’s like a kart track with one corner after another and you have to build your confidence to get close to the level of perfection needed to put together a lap that’s good enough for pole position. Without a doubt, every year this track produces the most exciting qualifying of the season. In the past, Saturday has usually gone well,” added Charles who has been on pole here for the past two years. “But as for Sunday, even if I don’t really believe in good or bad luck, I feel I’m owed something on the good side. I hope we can do what it takes to put that right this weekend.”