Charles Leclerc carries a burden of expectation into this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, and a nightmare track record on city streets he has known all his life, but the Ferrari driver denies feeling the pressure.
Charles Leclerc Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 24-year-old Monegasque was leading the Formula One championship by 19 points in Spain last weekend, and set for the race victory, until he was halted by a power unit problem.
That handed the overall lead to Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen, who won in Monaco last year after Leclerc was unable to start from pole position. The Dutch driver now has a six-point advantage.
Since his debut in 2018, Leclerc has yet to score a point at home.
This year he was won twice and been on pole four times in six races and could finally become the first Monegasque to score points at home since Louis Chiron finished third in 1950.
The Ferrari fans have hung their banners out, fervently hoping this is the year to end the jinx.
"I don't think about it," Leclerc told reporters at the harbourside paddock on Thursday. "Of course, it's not been the luckiest track for me overall but it's life, it happens... sometimes things just don't go your way.
"I'll just take the same approach as I've done in the first few races of 2022 because it's been successful until now."
Leclerc said his accident in the final minutes of qualifying last year, which led to a driveshaft failure before he could take his place on Sunday's starting grid, was just down to trying too hard.
Leclerc's 2021 crash at Monaco Photo: PHOTOSPORT
He was confident the Barcelona problem would not happen again.
"Honestly, I don't feel the added pressure of bigger responsibility this year than any other years," he said.
"Last year also and the year before it was also my, or our, responsibility to get back on top with such a big name as Ferrari.
"I just try and focus on the job and am confident that whenever we do the perfect job on the weekend we have a shot for a win this year."
Verstappen has won the last three races, taking almost maximum points, but has yet to win four in a row in Formula One. Like Leclerc, he also had a poor record in the principality until 2021.
"My Monaco race history was not so good but I finally won there last year and there was a massive relief once I crossed the line," he said.
Mercedes and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton could also be a factor, the champions back on the rise after struggling with a bouncing car.
"Monaco hasn't always been our happiest track, and slow-speed corners haven't been our strength this season as we saw in Barcelona, but we've seen so far this year that anything can happen," said team boss Toto Wolff.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Formula One statistics for the Monaco Grand Prix, round seven of the 22-race season.
Lap distance: 3.337km. Total distance: 260.286km (78 laps)
2021 pole position: Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari one minute 10.346 seconds.
2021 race winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
Race lap record: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:12.909, 2021
Start time: 1300 GMT (1500 local)
MONACO
This year's race is the 68th edition in championship history and 79th since the first grand prix in the principality in 1929.
The late triple world champion Ayrton Senna holds the record for most Monaco wins -- six, including five in a row with McLaren between 1989 and 1993.
A safety car deployment is highly likely.
Ferrari have won nine times in total but McLaren are the most successful in Monaco, with 15 wins since their debut in 1966.
In 1996, Frenchman Olivier Panis won from 14th on the starting grid -- the lowest winning start position to date. Since 1950, only 10 times has the race been won by a driver starting lower than third.
Thirty of the winners have started on pole.
Five former Monaco winners will be on SundayG��s grid: Fernando Alonso (2006, 2007), Hamilton (2008, 2016, 2019), Sebastian Vettel (2011, 2017), Daniel Ricciardo (2018) and Verstappen (2021).
Leclerc can become the first Monegasque to score points at home since Louis Chiron finished third in 1950. He failed to start last year after securing pole.
RACE WINS
Verstappen has won the last three races and four of the season's six races, Leclerc the other two.
Hamilton has a record 103 wins from 294 starts. He has yet to win this year, however, and his most recent was in Saudi Arabia last December.
Ferrari have won 240 races since 1950, McLaren 183, Mercedes 124, Williams 115 and Red Bull 79.
POLE POSITION
Leclerc has been on pole four times this year, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Verstappen taking the other two.
Hamilton has a record 103 career poles, most recently qualifying fastest in Saudi Arabia last year.
FASTEST LAP
Leclerc took the fastest lap bonus point in the first three races, Verstappen in Imola and Miami and Perez in Spain.
POINTS
Verstappen leads Leclerc by six points.
Red Bull lead Ferrari by 26 points in the constructors' standings.
Mercedes' George Russell is the only driver to have scored points in every race this year. The Briton has finished all in the top five.
-Reuters
