Local Hero Charles Leclerc Accepts Defeat to Deserving Lando Norris at Monaco GP

Charles Leclerc acknowledged Lando Norris' impressive drive to victory during the Monaco GP after a hard-fought battle.

Local Hero Charles Leclerc Accepts Defeat to Deserving Lando Norris at Monaco GP

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc (via Sky Sports)

Charles Leclerc raised expectations for Ferrari after Qualifying at the Monaco GP. The hometown star outdrove the car and qualified on the front row beside pole-sitter Lando Norris. The 27-year-old managed to keep up the pace in the race and almost challenged the Briton for the win, but it was not enough. Leclerc admitted that the McLaren driver was the deserving winner on Sunday.

The Ferrari driver was right behind Lando Norris for the entire course of the Grand Prix. This was classic Monaco as drivers struggle to make overtakes on the narrow circuit. It is often said that the race results in Monte Carlo are decided during Qualifying itself. Max Verstappen did help Leclerc in getting closer to Norris in the ending stages of the race. With the Monegasque within the DRS range of the McLaren. However, Norris managed to fend off the pressure and took his second win of the season.

Charles Leclerc claimed that he knew he had lost the race on Saturday itself. The 27-year-old insisted that he needed to do a better lap in Qualifying to have a real shot at victory. Nevertheless, the Ferrari star praised Lando Norris, stating that the Briton was indeed the deserving winner this time around. Moreover, the Monegasque star reckoned that finishing second was ahead of expectations for the team. Leclerc insisted that Ferrari had not even expected to be in the fight for points this weekend.

At the end of the day,we lost the race yesterday. We should have done a better job,Lando did a better job and he deserves the win. It is above our expectations here, I thought we would struggle to be in the top 10 so it has been a good weekend. But I wish I’d won.

Charles Leclerc said post-race

Charles Leclerc expresses heartwarming feeling at Monaco GP

The 27-year-old is the local hero of Monte Carlo. Charles Leclerc grew up on these streets and witnessed the Grand Prix as a child. This fueled his passion for racing. Now, Leclerc has become a star not only of Monaco, but the racing world as a whole.

Charles Leclerc, image via F1
Charles Leclerc, image via F1

The Ferrari star finally ended the infamous Monaco curse by taking his first home win last year. He might not have had the same result this time around, yet Leclerc received immense support from fans. Charles Leclerc claimed that his heart was full to see the crowd cheer for him this weekend.

Being born here, seeing all the Monegasque behind me is very special. It warms my heart to be at home and have so much support.

Charles Leclerc added

Certainly, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari have a few positives from the Monaco GP. Despite expecting to be behind the likes of McLaren and Red Bull, the team showed decent pace, almost enough for victory. However, there is still a lot of work left to be done at Maranello to truly become a contender for the title. With eight races already done in 2025, the Scuderia might be better off focusing onto the 2026 regulations instead of trying to salvage a title bid during the remainder of this year.

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