Watch every session of the Monaco GP live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event, Practice One this Friday at 12pm. Charles Leclerc will be competing for his sixth race on home soil as an F1 driver, and he will be hoping that his fortunes will turn in Monaco given that Ferrari is anticipated to be extremely competitive.

In an attempt to win his first race of the 2024 Formula One season, Charles Leclerc is “confident” that Ferrari will have excellent pace at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen leads Leclerc in the drivers’ title, but he has never placed on the podium at his home event. 

The 26-year-old’s season started off a little disappointingly as Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz surpassed him. However, he gained momentum heading into Monaco with third-place finishes at the last two races in Miami and Imola.

“Monaco is so specific that we need to start a little bit from a blank page. Free Practice is super, super important to build the pace little by little. But I’m confident we will be strong,” said Leclerc.

“It’s the same roads that I took by bus to go to school when I was younger. Now it’s in a Formula 1 car. So that makes it extra special for me. So I’m really looking forward to it. To be in Monaco, a very special track I think for every driver because it’s a very challenging track and extra special for me, as it’s my home race.”

The Monaco Curse of LeclercWhile most Formula One drivers excel at their home circuit, Leclerc has had a lot of bad luck in Monaco.

In the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, Brendon Hartley’s backstrike forced him out of the race entering the Nouvelle Chicane. After a year, Leclerc retired from the race after making contact with the wall at Rascasse, and he was eliminated in the first round.

He brought out the red flag in the third qualifying round when he crashed at the Swimming Pool chicane, but in 2021 he finished on first for Ferrari. Ferrari believed they had fixed his vehicle, but when the team got to the starting grid on race day, they found an issue and Leclerc’s driveshaft broke.

“Monaco is very special for me. True that it hasn’t been the most successful race for me until now. However, the pace was always there and that gives me the confidence that it will be the case this year too,” continued Leclerc.

After a year, Leclerc was leading the race, but his opponents’ tactics caused him to fall to fourth place. He started and finished sixth in the previous year’s race due to chaos created by the rain.