Charles Leclerc: "Anything that I didn’t win, I don't remember"

A hundred metres from the Duomo di Milano, down a wide side street, the foot traffic outside La Locanda del Gatto Rosso Ristorante has come to a standstill. As iconic as this Milanese establishment might be – the saffron risotto has its own fan pages – it bears no relevance to the ensuing chaos. It just happens to be situated opposite Ferrari’s flagship fashion store, where F1 superstar Charles Leclerc is due to arrive any second.

Crowds and crowds of exuberant young fans – each wearing or holding their own bit of Ferrari red – are desperate to catch a glimpse of the 26-year-old Monégasque idol, hopeful of having a cap, a T-shirt or even a body part signed. If the atmosphere doesn’t already translate the level of love in the air for Leclerc and Ferrari , the handwritten signs will. One reads “Ferrari is our first and only love” with the numbers 16 and 55 (Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz’s car numbers) encircled by hearts.



Another says “After all this time? Forza Ferrari, SEMPRE [heart emoji].” My favourite: “HOT girls support Charles Leclerc” with a red chilli in place of the “T”. Ferrari staff, decked out in identical burgundy fits in a slightly more demure shade than the usual Rosso Corsa, are hyping up the expectant diehards further still.

Suddenly, high-pitched screams rise above the nearby busker’s eight out of 10 rendition of Ed Sheeran ’s “Shape of You”. Leclerc must be here. Wait.

No. Leo, the driver’s young puppy, has just entered the building. Minutes later, though, deafening shrieks signal Leclerc himself has finally arrived, all humble smiles and popstar sex appeal.

Fans melt as he politely signs everything within his reach. With the Italian Grand Prix in Monza a matter of days away, Leclerc is here as the special guest of a GQ x Ferrari event hosted by GQ Italia’s head of editorial content Federico Sarica . Inside the store, the mood is as excitable as outside – with the benefit of negronis, prancing horse–stamped canapés and air con to keep everyone’s cool.

Hanging centrally between floors is a replica of Michael Schumacher’s almost unbeatable F1 Ferrari car, with other bits of the famous brand’s memorabilia dotted around. Leclerc is in head-to-toe beige Ferrari garms, a nod to the quiet luxury he prefers to express himself through. In one hand he’s carrying not Leo – his girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux has him in her grasp – but a custom black Maranello clutch bag in the shape of a Ferrari, lined with the red and white stripes of the Monaco flag.

I’m later told it’s one of only two made. The other, signed by Leclerc, has just been sold for £21,000. “Cinema, music and contemporary art are always the best drivers to deliver messages, and this is what has also happened with racing,” Rocco Iannone , Ferrari’s creative director, tells GQ after appearing on a short panel talk with Sarica and Leclerc.

“Lewis Hamilton was the first fashion hero from racing. I totally love his style, and what he’s done for the fashion and F1 communities, putting them together. After him, a lot of [drivers] have started to have a sensibility towards fashion, like Charles.

He is very passionate about fashion and understands what he likes and what he doesn't like.” Amid the frenzy he’s caused in and outside in Milan tonight, I grab Leclerc for a quick chat about the rest of a season that’s all to play for – starting with the Monza Grand Prix. GQ : Outside, wow! Absolute scenes for you! Charles Leclerc: [ laughs ] It's crazy.

That's what is so special about Monza and Italy. There's so much passion and there are so many young people, which is really nice for the sport. The support for Ferrari is unbelievable.

How is it sharing the limelight with your dog, Leo, now? He got a pretty big cheer when he arrived too. Oh really? I didn't hear, but I know that he has so many [fans] already. One of my best friends went to walk him the other day and he told me that he couldn't walk more than 50 metres because people keep stopping him.

Recognising a dog is a whole new level. I didn’t know it was possible. But yeah, Leo is the best thing that I have had in my life for a long time.

With McLaren now seemingly the team to beat, has Lando Norris been on the text about how quick his car is? Yeah. It was a surprise to see them win by such a margin [at the Dutch Grand Prix] but now it’s been quite a few races where they've been consistently the car to beat. So yeah, I’ll say McLaren has even overtaken Red Bull, which was something unexpected going into this season.

Unlike previous seasons where Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been dominant, the championship is wide open as we head into the business end of the season. That must be a good thing, right? The goal for every driver is to make the season as boring as possible and dominate absolutely everything. However, stepping back from this, when you see three, four, five, six drivers fighting for a win and you’ve got that unexpected part of the sport where it really plays on whoever is going to take the most risk, that's what makes me love this sport so much.

We need that in Formula 1 and in a season like this, there’s more and more of that. I hope it continues – but not for long. I hope Ferrari can then dominate for many years.

It’s Monza this weekend – what is the craziest thing that’s happened to you as a Ferrari driver there? Many, many crazy things. Last year on Saturday night at midnight, I was starting to go to sleep but I could hear extremely loud people just singing my name. I opened the window of my hotel room and there were like 200 people.

I think they woke up the whole hotel but it was a really cool moment. Where does Monza rank in terms of your favourite tracks to race at? The track itself is really cool because there are a lot of overtaking opportunities and that makes it special, but it is not my favourite. However, as a Ferrari driver, everything that is around the track is probably the best of the whole season because it feels incredible and it motivates you so much going into the weekend.

You finished fourth last year – are you hoping for better this year? Anything that I didn’t win, I don't remember. So F1 is all about winning races? For me it’s not such a big deal to be on a podium. A win is what motivates me.

Whenever you win, it’s a win not only for me, but the thousands of people back in Maranello that are sacrificing time with their family and with their loved ones. The emotions are multiplied and that’s what makes it so special. Is it fair to say the style stakes in F1 have risen since you started out? When I got here in 2019, it was a childhood dream come true, and at that moment I was 200% focused on racing.

Ferrari style was not a thing, but now it’s come to life and it’s sparked my creativity side. You’ve done things like help to design clutch bags. Yes, that was really cool, and hopefully there’s more to come.

I’d like to work on a full collection in the future. You’ll be joined at Ferrari next year by the most stylish man in F1, Lewis Hamilton . How do you feel that’s going to impact you from a style perspective? Lewis is doing some incredible stuff but it's not going to change me as a person or the way I dress.

Fashion is very personal and is a way to express yourself without speaking. Thursday is now a bit like a catwalk in the paddock where every driver comes with different outfits, so that’s really cool to see. Is Leo looking forward to linking up with Lewis’s dog, Roscoe? [ laughs ] It was fun for them to meet [at Silverstone] however I’m not sure Roscoe will be happy to have Leo with him for a whole day.

Roscoe is more in the phase of his life where he wants to relax and be easygoing, and Leo is a bit more of the monster who wants to run and play all the time. How will Lewis’s arrival affect the team dynamic? For now, I’m fully focused on this season. Carlos and I have a really good way of working together and we want to finish on a high.

However, I don’t think that the team dynamic is going to change. Obviously Lewis coming to Ferrari is a huge thing, because he is the most successful Formula 1 driver ever. It’s a huge opportunity to learn from one of the best ever and also a huge motivation to be able to show what I’m capable of against Lewis with the same car.

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