Racing
© Wastrick
Charles Leclerc will wear a special Ferrari race suit inspired by the Monaco flag at his home Monaco Grand Prix, with the team flipping its usual color scheme for the race that carries more personal weight for him than any other on the calendar.
Instead of Ferrari’s traditional predominantly red look, Leclerc’s Monaco suit is built around an off-white base, with red moved to the shoulders, sides and collar. Ferrari said the design reflects an inversion of its usual colors, while also drawing on the red-and-white of Monaco’s flag. The same theme has also been applied to Leclerc’s shoes and cap.
Leclerc, Ferrari driver, explained in a video posted on the team’s social media why the weekend stands apart. “To race at home is very, very special,” he said. “Those are the streets that I have been taking my bus since I was a kid. There is just something about Monaco.”
He said the circuit is tied to memories from long before he reached Formula 1. “On the track, whichever corner I am in, I have got a story of my childhood or from when I started racing,” Leclerc added. “There is a bit of a personal story everywhere around the track, and that is why it makes it so special for me.”
That connection has made Monaco one of the most emotionally charged races of Leclerc’s career. Born and raised in the Principality, he spent years chasing a result there before finally winning the race for the first time in 2024, on his sixth Formula 1 start at home.
The breakthrough followed a run of painful setbacks. Leclerc crashed out on his first F1 Monaco appearance in 2018 with Sauber, suffered floor damage after an early collision in 2019, was hit by a transmission failure in 2021, and lost what looked like a winning chance in 2022 through a Ferrari strategy mistake.
The new suit turns this year’s return into another pointed Monaco moment for Ferrari and its hometown driver, especially with the circuit again seen as a possible opening for the team. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, speaking to Lottoland, said Ferrari has a “golden chance to win in Monaco because of the way that their car is,” calling Leclerc “such a Monaco specialist.” Palmer said Ferrari’s “brilliant chassis” and strength off the line could help compensate for what he described as the team’s power-unit weakness.