WATCH: Charles Leclerc recalls his hilarious taxi ride home following his momentous 2019 Monza win

Over the past two decades, Ferrari has celebrated a solitary victory at their revered home circuit, the temple of speed, Monza. The momentous win was in 2019 when Charles Leclerc displayed his racing prowess to win the Italian GP, fending off the Mercedes duo in an epic battle. This triumph etched a mark in the racing chronicles, forever remembered with the iconic David Croft’s commentary, “He won in Spa, he wins in Monza!”

At the time, Charles Leclerc was in only his second season in Formula 1, and it was his debut year with the legendary Prancing Horse. Tragically, the win came just one weekend after losing his friend Anthoine Hubert at Spa, where he had also secured a victory. Despite the emotional turmoil, Leclerc’s impressive performance at Monza announced his arrival among the sport’s elite, earning him the moniker “Il Predistinato” from the adoring Italian fans.

The euphoric podium celebrations were accompanied by a sea of red flares ignited by the passionate Tifosi. On the anniversary of this unforgettable triumph, F1 revisited the race across various media platforms. During an interview with Will Buxton, Leclerc shared some delightful anecdotes about the day and the electric atmosphere following his victory. Among these was a humorous tale about a post-race taxi ride that left Leclerc and the driver in stitches.

After the race, Leclerc decided to celebrate by heading out to a restaurant and hailed a taxi to get there. During the ride, the talkative taxi driver brought up the recently concluded race, asking his passenger if he had watched it and expressing excitement about Ferrari’s triumph. The driver praised the talented young Ferrari driver without any inkling that he was conversing with the person he was praising. 

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Charles Leclerc will be hoping to repeat the glory in 4 weeks

Leclerc, amused by the situation, graciously accepted the compliments and thanked the driver for his kind words. The driver, perplexed by Leclerc’s response, asked, “Why thank you?” oblivious to the fact that he was chauffeuring the Monegasque Ferrari driver. The driver couldn’t fathom why Leclerc was expressing gratitude for the compliments.

Once the journey ended, Leclerc finally revealed his true identity to the driver, much to the latter’s astonishment. Realizing he had just spent time with none other than the victorious Ferrari driver, the taxi driver’s astonishment turned to excitement. Overwhelmed by the unexpected celebrity encounter, the driver eagerly requested to take pictures with Leclerc, capturing the unforgettable moment to cherish forever.

Leclerc has gone winless for the next two years owing to the Ferrari engine’s power deficiency. His next win came at the 2022 Bahrain GP, the season where he led the standings and ended up as a runner-up behind Max Verstappen. As of 2023, Ferrari is a long way behind Red Bull to mount any challenge for a championship.

Leclerc has scored three podiums this season, and a victory still eludes the Monegasque and his Scarlet Red team. The Italian GP will be the second race after the summer break, and Leclerc and the TIfosi will be praying to the racing gods to have a repeat of the 2019 win. 

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