Charles Leclerc is hoping luck will side with him on Sunday as he tries to win his home Formula 1 race in Monaco.
The Ferrari driver has suffered mechanical issues and strategy faux pas in the past which has seen him fail to visit the top step of the podium just a few hundred metres from his childhood home.
Returning to Monaco in 2023 sees the Monegasque driver starting to believe luck is a real thing as he hopes for a positive Sunday as well as Saturday for a change.
“I do not believe too much in luck, but it’s true,” Leclerc told select members of the media including Total-Motorsport.com ahead of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
“When you look at the record, it’s not always been easy on race day. Saturday has been good and I hope we can reproduce that again this year but this time with a better Sunday.
“Red Bull is still the team to beat, with a special lap, maybe we can beat them in qualifying.”
Very special
Leclerc has always had a strong affinity with his home race being the only driver from Monaco to race in F1.
His brother, Arthur Leclerc, will race on the same weekend in Formula 2 but the elder Leclerc recalls that he still has very good friends who can watch the race from their own apartments that overlook the famous street circuit.
“This race is always very special for me because these are the streets where I have grown up,” Leclerc added.
“Wherever I go on the track, I have some friends living right over the track and can see the race from their apartment.”