Charles Leclerc has become F1’s first Monegasque to win the Monaco GP. After 93 years, the principality has crowned one of its own as the king of the streets. Tears were flowing all around as home fans and the Monaco royal family rejoiced after Leclerc’s special homecoming. The man himself got teary-eyed under his helmet in the closing stages of the race, and his girlfriend, Alexandra Saint-Mleux, was visibly nervous too.

In his first Monaco GP with Sauber in 2018, Leclerc vocalized how winning his home race was his childhood dream. After 2 DNFs, 1 DNS, a P4, and a P6, F1’s Prince of Monaco finally claimed the top step. After a Lap 1 red flag caused by Sergio Perez’s massive crash with the two Haas’, Ferrari switched Leclerc onto the Hard tires, on which he endured 77 laps to bring it home.

In Lap 76 of the 78-lap race, Alexandra was nervously clutching to a bracelet with her hands shaking nervously. At the same time, her Monegasque partner couldn’t control his emotions, driving the SF24 to the checkered flag. “The emotions were coming 2 laps until the end, and I was struggling to see,” Leclerc laughingly told his fellow podium-sitters in the cool-down room. “I was like, no Charles, not now!”

His younger brother, Arthur Leclerc, was also overwhelmed with joy. “It’s the first time I cried seeing my brother win”, he said post-race. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur also displayed some grounded celebration as his star driver achieved an “important milestone”.

Frederic Vasseur rejoices as Charles Leclerc ends his “unlucky” Monaco streak

After finishing P3, Carlos Sainz said, “We’re getting stronger and stronger every weekend”. Charles Leclerc’s performance was the embodiment of this statement. Interestingly, the last time Leclerc won was on Red Bull’s home ground in Austria, in 2022. After beating Max Verstappen yet again after 2 years, he reduced the drivers’ championship gap to only 31 points.

“It’s a very good feeling,” Frederic Vasseur told F1TV post-race. “It was important for the team and it was important for Charles. Couple of times in Monaca, he was unlucky. At the end of the day, it was an important milestone for him. It was important to tick this box and now it’s done.”

The French Team boss even said how he got a party invite from the Prince of Monaco royal family. Today’s party in the principality will be wild as the residents of Monte Carlo revel in their home hero’s success. With Ferrari looking stronger than ever, Leclerc could prove to be a surprise championship contender this year.