Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc was born on 16 October 1997 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. His father, Hervé Leclerc, was a racing driver. Leclerc began karting aged five and started racing at Brignoles. He won the regional PACA championship in the Mini class in 2005. In 2011, Leclerc won the World Cup at Sarno. He graduated to the senior KF2 category in 2012 with ART Grand Prix and won the WSK Euro Series. In 2013, Leclerc progressed to the KZ senior gearbox class.
Leclerc graduated to junior formulae in 2014, signing for Fortec in Formula Renault 2.0. He finished runner-up to Nyck de Vries in the Alps Series. He then graduated to FIA European Formula 3 in 2015 with Van Amersfoort Racing, winning several races. He won his first championship at the 2016 GP3 Series with ART. Leclerc then won the inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017 with Prema.
Leclerc made his Formula One debut in 2018 with Sauber as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He scored several points finishes in the C37. He joined Ferrari for 2019 to partner Sebastian Vettel. He became the second-youngest polesitter in Formula One history at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He took his maiden career win in Belgium, before ending Ferrari's record nine-year drought at the Italian Grand Prix. After winless seasons for Ferrari in 2020 and 2021, Leclerc took several victories and finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in the 2022 World Drivers' Championship.
Following five pole positions and six podiums in his 2023 campaign, Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2024, becoming the first Monégasque driver to win the race in 93 years. He achieved further victories in Italy and the United States as he finished third in the championship. As of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, Leclerc has achieved eight race wins, 11 fastest laps, and 52 podiums in Formula One. He also holds the record for the most pole positions without a World Drivers' Championship (27). Leclerc is contracted to remain at Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Leclerc has a strong qualifying history in Formula One, holding the record for most pole positions without a World Drivers' Championship (27). His driving style tends to favour a car with oversteer, allowing for precise micro-corrections and high cornering speeds. He became the youngest recipient of the FIA Pole Trophy in 2019, a feat he repeated in 2022. Leclerc has been noted by critics for his proficiency in wheel-to-wheel racing. He was nicknamed "il Predestinato" in Italian media after defending his lead at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.
Outside of motor racing, Leclerc collaborated with pianist Sofiane Pamart on an extended play, Dreamers (2024), which peaked at number two on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. He began playing the piano aged six. Leclerc launched his own go-kart brand in 2019, as part of a collaboration with Birel ART. In 2020, Leclerc became an endorsement model for Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani. In April 2024, Leclerc launched an eponymous ice cream brand called LEC.
Leclerc is trilingual; he is fluent in French, Italian, and English. He chose 16 as his personal driver number in Formula One. He began a relationship with French-born influencer Alexandra Saint Mleux in 2023. They announced their engagement in November 2025 and married in a private civil ceremony four months later in Monaco-Ville. Leclerc served as a torchbearer for the Monégasque leg ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. He owns several Ferrari cars.
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