It was a highly emotional Sunday in Monaco for Charles Leclerc, who became a hero in his home country after becoming the first Monégasque driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix in 93 years.
Leclerc led the race from start to finish, and the emotions poured out of him and the crowd as victory seemed imminent. And in that moment, announcer Alex Jacques put together a fantastic narration of the final lap to encapsulate how much this victory meant to Leclerc.
Fair warning: This one pulls on the heartstrings.
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Charles Leclerc attends the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco on May 26, 2024, in Monte-Carlo. (Arnold Jerocki/FilmMagic)
“In 2017, Charles Leclerc lost his father,” Jacques said. “And in his final days, he told his father a white lie – he’d made it to Formula One. That he’d signed the contract. It wasn’t true then, but his driving has made it true now.”
Leclerc said on the podium after the race that he was thinking about his late father, Hervé Leclerc, who died at 54 years old while Charles was trying to reach Formula One while in Formula 2 racing.
“The emotions were coming already,” Leclerc said. “I have to say I was thinking [about] my dad, a lot more than what I thought while driving.
“He’s given everything for me to be here. It was a dream of ours for me to race here and to win, so it’s unbelievable.”
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Jacques continued his narration beautifully after mentioning Leclerc’s father.
“Now, look what he’s done with the opportunity,” he said. “The grandstands he saw built as a kid growing up now rise for him. For the first time in 93 years, this fabled race is won by one of their own. Charles Leclerc wins the Monaco Grand Prix to achieve his dream!”
Jacques also made sure to preface these comments with an anecdote involving the late Jules Bianchi, who Leclerc honored earlier this year on the 10th anniversary of his tragic death during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. He died from injuries suffered in the closing laps on the wet track.
Charles Leclerc drives the Ferrari SF-24 through Tabac during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024. (Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images)
Bianchi was a mentor Leclerc has consistently thanked for his career success.
“His career was finished without the intervention of the late Jules Bianchi, who said to Ferrari, ‘You’ve got to take this guy. You’ve got to make sure he gets to Formula One.’ And what a gift that was to give,” Jacques said.
They were the perfect words to sum up everything Leclerc has worked for to get to the point where he broke the “curse” of the Monaco Grand Prix not being won by one of their own.
Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after winning the F1 Grand Prix on May 26, 2024. (Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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It was more than just crossing another finish line.
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