As F1 seasons come and go, Charles Leclerc just wants to be himself

SINGAPORE – In the ever-changing world of Formula 1, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc just wants to be the only constant.

Even though he too has evolved, having progressed from Sauber to Ferrari since his F1 debut in 2018, raced with four different teammates, won nine races, and changed his marital status to “married”.

Unfazed by the glitz and glamour of the sport, a more mature Leclerc is keeping his feet grounded and staying true to himself.

Ahead of the Oct 9-11 F1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, a thoughtful Leclerc said: “At the end of the day, what matters to me the most is to just be myself.

“When there’s attention or when there’s no attention, it’s all about trying to be me, as much as possible, without any filters.

“When you’ve got a lot of cameras and people looking at you, it’s always difficult to be your true self. But that’s what matters to me and that’s what I always try to stick to.”

The Monegasque was speaking to The Straits Times on Oct 7 before he greeted over 500 fans at Ray-Ban’s Beyond The Track event in CQ @ Clarke Quay.

Courteous and considerate, Leclerc looked at ease despite his packed schedule. Upon his arrival just after 5pm, he was ushered from point to point like clockwork and posed for a dozen photographs before he had the chance to sit down.

The crowd also serenaded him with a birthday song and Black Eyed Peas hit Where Is the Love, which he earlier said would be his chosen “walkout anthem”.

To stay grounded amid the many changes in his life is easy, he said, crediting his friends – “the real ones” – and the people around him, who have accompanied him on his motor racing journey even before he entered F1 with Sauber as a 20-year-old.

Reflecting on his growth since his first F1 race in 2018 and the move to Ferrari the following year, he said: “I’ve definitely changed a lot both as a driver as a person, naturally because it’s been nearly 10 years that I’m in F1. Things have changed a lot, I’m now married and obviously you evolve a lot as a person.

“I’m a lot more mature than I was back then. As a driver, I’ve experienced very different situations. Based on the good or the difficult moments, you learn a lot and that has shaped me as a driver.

“I feel like I’m a bit more patient and a bit more structured and disciplined compared to when I first started.”

But, just days before his 29th birthday on Oct 16, Leclerc insists the fire in him is still as strong as it was eight years ago.

He said: “Racing has always been my passion. I started when I was 3½ years old and the passion is still as alive as it was when I started back then.

“Life obviously evolves and I evolve as a person, but the view and the way I approach racing doesn’t change much. I still go into a weekend with a lot of passion and commitment, and that won’t change.”

He will need all that drive this weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he has been on pole twice but has never won.

Sitting fourth in the drivers’ standings with 191 points, Leclerc will be looking to claim just his second podium finish in eight races, since he took second spot on July 19 in Belgium.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 320 points ahead of teammate George Russell (236) and Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton (214).

But no matter where he ends up in the Singapore GP, Leclerc stressed the importance of resetting after each race.

“You cannot really think too much about the past. You’ve got to keep looking forward and keep pushing the boundaries,” he said.

“When things go wrong, you obviously have to analyse, but then also keep looking forward and not rely too much on the last disappointment or on the last victory.

“It’s all about looking ahead and that’s the mentality, no matter if it’s going well or not.”

True to his word, he is now gunning for his first win in Singapore, and his second of the season since he won the British Grand Prix on July 5.

He told his adoring fans: “I’m fully confident. It’s challenging because it is very warm and very humid. But I’ve trained as much as I possibly could and I can’t wait to be back in the car.”

Hours before Leclerc’s appearance at Clarke Quay, Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas was making his own entrance into Singapore – on his bicycle at the end of a 419.67km ride from Sepang.

He started his journey after the Bahrain GP in Malaysia on Oct 4 and arrived in the afternoon on Oct 7, travelling 40.16km in nearly three hours on the final leg of his journey.