Charles Leclerc: “I dreamed of it since I was little”

A good qualifying, a good pace in the race and then a contact with the Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley. What happened ?
We lost the brakes! The last four laps before contact were very complicated because the pedaling was long and the braking was very inconsistent. A difficult to maintain situation which unfortunately ended at the port chicane. I feel a little bad for Brendon, but at the same time, there wasn't much I could do. I tried to get as far to the right as possible, but it wasn't enough to avoid him.

How long have you been waiting for this home Grand Prix?
I’ve dreamed of it since I was little! I must have been around 4 or 5 years old when I attended my first Monaco GP. I was watching the race from the terrace of a building located after the first turn. It was the parents' apartment of one of my best friends and we played little cars while watching the big ones come out of Sainte-Dévote.

Emotionally, was it difficult to deal with the memories of your father and Jules Bianchi (Charles Leclerc released a helmet tribute to the two men in Monaco)?

Special Race – Special Helmet.
I will be using the helmet design of my father with an added tribute on the top and in the back of Jules and him. It was our dream to be one day racing in Monaco and I'm pretty sure Jules and him are watching from above. pic.twitter.com/25YdhCZ6Sb

- Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) 23th May 2018

Both of them are always with me, not only in Monaco. Without my father, without Jules, I would not be here today and I do not need the streets of the Principality to remember him. Every morning before getting in the car, I think of them. Afterwards, once harnessed, I have a job to do.

Discover the full interview and analysis of the Monaco Grand Prix, carried out by our special correspondent in the Principality, in AUTO issue 2167hebdo, available in digital version and on newsstands.