Leclerc cried during home win: 'I had tears in my eyes in tunnel'
F1 News
- Tygo Bekkema
Charles Leclerc was the celebrated man at the past Grand Prix weekend. The home driver proved untouchable at the Monaco Grand Prix. Victory in the streets so close to his heart caused a lot of emotion for the Monegasque. So much so that he almost started crying during the race.
"I think where I struggled most to actually contain my emotions was during the last 10 laps of the race," Leclerc began to share. Early on, Oscar Piastri tried to put some pressure on him, but by the end of the race, the Ferrari driver had some space.
"More than on the podium. I realised actually two laps to the end that I was struggling to see out of the tunnel just because I had tears in my eyes. And I was like, ‘Fuck, Charles, you cannot do that now. You still have two laps to."
So Leclerc was quite emotional during the Grand Prix in Principality. But he is also trying to remain calm and realistic at the same time. "And especially on a track like Monaco, you have to be on it all the way to the end. So it was very difficult to contain those emotions, those thoughts again of the people who have helped me to get to where I am today."
He added: "It's only a win. The season is still very, very long. It's 25 points like any other win. However, emotionally, this one means so much. And I think the fact as well that we started twice on pole position in the past and that we couldn't manage to get the win for one reason or another, that we couldn't really control, but it makes this one even more so special," Leclerc concluded.