Charles Leclerc drives car #16 for Scuderia Ferrari in 2026, with 8 Grand Prix victories, 26 pole positions, and 40 podiums through the end of 2025. Born on October 16, 1997, the Monegasque driver has been with the Scuderia since 2019 and finally won his home Monaco Grand Prix in 2024 after years of heartbreak on the streets where he grew up.
Leclerc burst onto the F1 scene with Sauber in 2018 before earning an immediate promotion to Ferrari, where he won two races in his debut season with the team. His 2022 campaign saw him lead the championship early with three wins from the first seven races, though reliability issues and strategic errors cost him the title. His 26 pole positions place him among the greatest single-lap performers in F1 history.
For 2026, Leclerc is joined by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, forming arguably the most formidable driver pairing on the grid. Leclerc has the advantage of knowing the team, the engineering culture, and the development philosophy after seven seasons at Maranello. The new regulations represent a genuine opportunity for Ferrari to build a championship-winning car.
Leclerc’s qualifying speed is borderline extraordinary. His ability to find lap time in the final sector of Q3 has produced some of the most memorable qualifying performances in modern F1. His race pace and tyre management have improved significantly since 2022, making him a more complete competitor.
Fans in Monaco can walk to the Circuit de Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix at Round 6 in June, with the race starting at 14:00 CEST. The Central European timezone means comfortable viewing for the majority of European races. Check Monaco time for timezone conversions.
At 28, Leclerc enters a pivotal phase of his career. With Hamilton as both teammate and benchmark, the 2026 season will reveal whether Leclerc can deliver the championship that his talent has long promised and that Ferrari’s passionate fans have been waiting for since 2007.