Leclerc hopes to pay off his debt to the principality.

‘Checo’ Pérez had an accident and Carlos Sainz hit him later in F1 qualifying | VIDEO

F1, Monaco GP 2022 LIVE: schedules, channels and where to watch the race

The distance between the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco GP is 55 kilometres, a drive of less than an hour. That is why it is not strange that on this date automobile photographers coexist with the paparazzi as a result of the constellation of cinematographic figures that take to the balconies of Monte Carlo and the Mediterranean yachts to see the most glamorous street map in the world. However, this weekend, unlike previous editions, the attention of the fans has been more on the asphalt than in the stands. Leclerc, the distinguished son of the principality of Monaco, runs in its streets in front of his own and on a Ferrari. Solid emotional tripod for a city of just over 40,000 inhabitants, which he sees as one of his own being the epicenter of the world.

Leclerc has never done well in Monte Carlo. As much as he knows his streets by heart, he has never won. Since he came to F1, and even when he was in F2, Charles has not stood up to his compatriots. That is why the pressure is on him because not only does he come from scoring zero in Spain, losing the lead and having a sharp car, but also because his fans hope that at home he will respect the locality once and for all and play, once again, the anthem of the principality in the champagne bath. A moment that fans have been waiting for since 1931 when Monegasque driver Louis Chiron won in a Bugatti T51.

Montecarlo is a tight and tight circuit where adherence is valued more than speed. A date of traction, effort and a lot of work for the brakes and tires. That is why Leclerc’s pole position yesterday is highly valued today on a street where overtaking is a craft. Let’s not forget the 2003 edition when no driver could overtake any rival in the 78 scheduled laps. The circuit is so intertwined that at the time Nelson Piquet, three-time champion of the category, said that driving on it was “like riding a bicycle around the living room of your house avoiding breaking the decorations.”

The first line is completed by his co-team Sainz while behind will start the Red Bull that for today promises drama. With a Checo Pérez who has been, throughout the weekend, insolent in the times against Verstappen, the big question is whether the team will demand castling from the Mexican again, as in Catalonia, in safeguard of the Dutchman’s two-time championship. Morbid restlessness that comes down from the paddocks while announcing 70% chance of rain for the race. Who said that only fairy tales are written in principalities?