The Shift goes one-on-one with F1 driver Charles Leclerc
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It is Wednesday night here in Toronto, which means it is Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas where Formula 1 picks up its schedule for the 22nd race of the season.
Only having really experienced the Canadian Grand Prix from a working standpoint, I can’t even begin to imagine that chaos that has already begun in Sin City. The last of the crews arriving, drivers getting settled, activations activating. To put it simply: a Grand Prix weekend is like this tornado of hype, fans, money, wild sightings, good times and cars. It spins.. holding pace, place and panic for four days.
All of a sudden, boom she’s packed up by the last drop of the sprayed celebratory champagne and gone like it never happened. On her way to wreak this beautiful what-the heck-was-that-even havoc at the next destination. It’s a time.
Having covered other sports, I can tell you that there is no other type of athlete that is worked as hard as a Formula One driver from the minute they land to the minute second they race.
They land, they are whisked away for work. Activations, meet and greets, red carpets — interview after interview. Formula 1 understands the power behind this kind of in-person marketing and willingly or not, their drivers have a clear understanding of having to fulfill this part of the job with the same about of dedication too. You know, while also seeing through what goes down at the track.
A schedule with baked-in practices, meetings, postmortems and the expected surprises that come up. It’s part of what comes with it I’m sure, but I, like you and them, are human. This is not normal. It certainly doesn’t make it easy to maintain an energy and smile throughout every single interview or meeting with a face less familiar. All understandable.
I would think that would have to be the case here for Charles Leclerc. He’s seemingly everywhere. One of the most-searched names coming out of Formula One ever. Seventeen million followers on Instagram. Hundreds of thousands of fan accounts for not only him but also his dog, Leo Leclerc.
On the performance side, he’s trying to maintain a momentum set during the last triple header, which included a win at the United States Grand Prix, and back in a place where last year’s P2 finish sparked optimism for another go, but further, in 2024.
Not to mention Leclerc is constantly being asked about 2025 changes to the team when we sometimes forget that he is just trying to make it to the end of this season.
All that being said, I was very much prepared to be hit with a “Tired, Kayla,” when I asked him how he was doing ahead of our interview. Instead this ready to go, burst of energy hops on our video call, gets comfy, breaks ice with a smile and kicks off our time with an enthusiastic “ Hey! How’s it going?”
And in that moment it’s me wondering if I’m the one who is tired because I’m trying to dig deep to try and match this energy. Then comes the dreaded moment of having to apologize in advance just in case my six-year-old crashes the call because it was 9 p.m. my time in Toronto and he was a little late (as usual) getting to bed. This would be the interview that he was decide to crash. “Don’t even apologize, that is totally fine!” Leclerc assures with another smile.
I’m now feeling relaxed and comfortable to proceed. I’m also sure that that’s not how this works here. As someone who does this and often, it’s the job of the interviewer to make sure the subject is at ease and ready to roll. And it’s there where I get it. Before even answering any of my prepared question, Leclerc answered one of the biggest ones I’ve had since being in sports with how he entered our chat.
In a sports industry where you have to “always have that dog in you” is it possible to navigate this kind of crazy that comes unimaginable pressures and fandom while remaining genuine? If so, how? If Leclerc’s automatic warmth in that moment and throughout our interview could talk, I would imagine it would say:
1. Just stay present. Presence keeps you grateful.
2. Love the heck out of what you do.
TSN: It feels like you are heading into this weekend with a lot of confidence. What significant changes have you made since that last time that you were in Vegas set you up for ?
Leclerc: I think, I think we are a more sure of this weekend by two things. On one side, in 2023, we came here, and we were super fast all weekend. So, I think that optimism comes partly because of our performance last year. However, the other side is of it is that we improved our tire management this year— but it's very cold this weekend, so it's a bit more difficult for us to put temperature into the tires, and this will might pay a little bit of a price here in Vegas. But all in all, I think we come here with a positive fitting, mostly based on last year's performance. It's a different car. But we see a trend, and it should be a good one for us this weekend. We hope.
TSN: F1 put a lot of emphasis on pushing and promoting Vegas which is still in its infancy. In your opinion what makes a stop on tour iconic?
Leclerc: I think that the most important thing for that is the energy around the event. That's what makes it very, very special. If you look at Spa for example , it's very special for the energy that there — the die-hard fans that have been watching Formula One for many, many years, and that's a signature of Spa. Monaco is about the glamour, and whenever you get there, it's just crazy, even with lots of people. And it's very glamour here in Vegas. It is also a very special environment and ambience that there is in here. Just as soon as you get here, the city is just crazy. I came here twice before the first race last year, and I enjoyed it so much. It's all about entertainment and Formula One is getting closer and closer to that entertainment part, and that makes it very, very special. Everybody is so excited about this event.
TSN: You have so many fans around the world. I remember being in Montreal, and just watching you navigate getting into your hotel was wild.
Leclerc: Montreal is one of those as well, where I feel like drivers of the past have left such a legacy that there's something special. And when I say drivers, I speak mostly about Gilles Villeneuve, who left something that whenever you get there — a bit like Brazil, with Ayrton [Senna], it's kind of the same thing, where you can feel as soon as you get there that these drivers left such a special mark to the country, and that left that inside. That started a lot of passion for lots of people. As well at the track, because it's such a special track with all the curbs. The last two corners, that is probably one of the most iconic corner of the calendar. So yeah, every track has its particularities, but some are more special than others.
TSN: So as I’m prepping for our interview, I started creeping your vlogs on YouTube and the latest one was you flying a fighter jet. How does Charles Leclerc not only end up in but get to fly a fighter jet?
Leclerc: Yeah, that was pretty random. I was on the flight back from Melbourne this year, and there's a person that I know very well that works as a journalist and he came to me and told me, “ Listen, I've had this idea for a while, and I was thinking about you…” because I told him I was passing my pilot's license. So we started speaking about it, and he asked me if I would be up for it. I said, “Of course, I'll be up for it!” I mean, this is this will be crazy. And that's how it all started. And then, yeah, five months later, I was in the fighter jet, which was such an incredible experience.
TSN: How many hours do you have to put in before you can get your licence to fly ?
Leclerc: I mean, it's, it's also quite dependent on how good you are in with all of that. I was pretty good with it from the beginning.
TSN: Mhmm of course you were.
Leclerc: (Charles lets out another smile and chuckle) Okay, not being arrogant whatsoever. I feel like Formula One and planes are in some way [similar] — the coordination with the hands and feet were pretty good straight away. So, I think maybe I will have needed 40 to 45 hours before getting the license. But the most difficult part is not actually the piloting. It’s more the theory around it that takes more time.
TSN: We just talked about you flying a fighter jet! Does it not weird you out a little with how many opportunities and incredible experiences this career has afforded ?
Leclerc: I've always said that I'm so incredibly lucky. I think it's very difficult to understand but whenever you are in this position, it's very easy to take things for granted. Remembering how far and how unrealistic all of this felt when I was five or six years old. When I was a kid, it was, yes, a dream to become a Formula One driver, and that was the main dream. It wasn't really the opportunities that this will create around Formula one it was just all being a Formula One driver. But that felt very, very unrealistic at the time, and now to be able to do that professionally, I feel very, very lucky, lucky.
And it's important to remind yourself, whenever you are in this position of how lucky you are, because lots of kids are dreaming of that, but very few will make it to the top. And it's not only about talent in our sport, but sometimes it's also about luck and finding yourself in the right position at the right time. That's very difficult to accept when you are talented, but you do get the right opportunities at the right time. I was lucky that of course, I was fast, but at the same time, I've been lucky to be at the right place at the right time.
TSN: It does take a special mindset to deal with all of this. Whether its mindset or people freaking out over your dog, what’s one thing that simply will never feel normal to you?
Leclerc: Probably being a Ferrari driver. I come back to when I was a kid, once again, I was watching the Ferrari drivers and dreaming of being part of those two, and we, only two on this team. So this feels still surreal.
TSN: Just getting a small glimpse of what an F1 driver’s schedule looks like, this is not normal. I have to ask you about balance. Do you believe that it can be achieved?
Leclerc: I mean, it's not a straightforward journey. I think you always learn about it, and always think about things at the end of a season that I feel like to do better, manage better, but that's just the way I think everyone goes about it. It's very difficult to find the perfect balance in everything you do, because it's when you do something a bit more, than you want to do the other thing that you do a little bit less, a bit more. I think humans are done that way. You always want to try and make it better. I'm extremely happy with my life . I'm very lucky. I love what I do. I mean, I wish I could see my family a bit more, but I'm so lucky with so many other things so I don't regret anything.
TSN: It's probably nice to, like, catch up and have, say, a drink with some families. I want to talk to you about Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% How have you been able to work that into the more relaxed sides of this where you can just chill out, relax and think about nothing?
Leclerc: It's so important, because a big part of my life, or at least of my well-being, is I have to see my friends and family and spend time with my dog and my girlfriend in order to be, because at the end, these are the people that matter to me the most. Obviously Peroni perfectly reflects that lifestyle of enjoying every moment with your close ones and just having a good time. I mean, racing is a big part of my life, but obviously Peroni is also 0.0 per cent, so I can still have a lot of fun and spend good moments with my family and friends while still focussing on performance throughout the season. It's important to sometimes let it go and take some time for yourself.
TSN: Were you surprised at how close it tastes to the original? How much easier does that allow for you to remain disciplined in your preparation?
Leclerc: It's a good question. I honestly, it's so incredibly close to the to the original beer with alcohol, which makes it even better. During the season, I'm exactly the same. There's time for everything. There's time. During the season, I cannot afford to do that, but I can still have a really good time with my friends. And Peroni is doing both products for my friends and myself, so it’s awesome.
TSN: Hard to think that the season is almost over but the holidays are right there. What are you looking most forward to doing then?
Leclerc: Just to spend time with my close ones. This is what I'm most looking forward to, to share experiences, moments and create memories. This is, I think, the most important thing in life, and I don't think I was appreciating that enough when I was younger. Creating memories is something that is priceless and that you keep in your mind for forever. So, this is definitely my priority for holidays. Create moments that I can look back to in 10,15, 20 or 30 years, and be happy about.