Charles Leclerc pens optimistic message ahead of landmark F1 race

Charles Leclerc's entry into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix is a special occasion for the driver as it will mark his 150th race in Formula 1. On his social media earlier today, the driver shared a note about the special race, as well as relayed a message of gratitude to his fans for their support during his career in the sport.

The Ferrari driver took to his X account to share a few images of himself and his special Japanese Grand Prix race helmet, next to a sign with the number '150' to mark the landmark event.

"150th race in Formula 1 🤍 I hope it’ll be a successful one and thank you for all the support throughout these first 150 races."

Charles Leclerc's debut in F1 came in 2018 with the Alfa Romeo Sauber team, and while he didn't score any wins in his first season, he did have a best finish of sixth place. The end of the year saw the Monegasque driver take home 39 points and 13th place in the points standings.

The following year, Leclerc joined Ferrari, stepping into the shoes of Kimi Raikkonen. In his first year with the team, he scored two wins and 10 podium finishes, giving him fourth place in the championship standings in his second season in F1.

2020 and 2021 would net an eighth and seventh place finish in the standings, but 2022 was the year that Charles Leclerc came closest to taking home the championship. After a season that saw him score three wins, as well as 11 podiums, giving him a total of 308 points, Leclerc finished in second place in the standings. He was 146 points behind winner Max Verstappen.

In 2023, Leclerc achieved six podiums, giving him a finish of 5th place at the end of the year. Last season, the Monegasque driver got close again - after three wins and 13 podiums, Charles Leclerc finished third in the battle for the Drivers' championship.

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Charles Leclerc admits start to the season has hurt Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on March 22, 2025. - Source: Getty

After the Chinese Grand Prix, a post-race inspection revealed that Charles Leclerc's car was underweight, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton's vehicle had excessive skid wear. These issues caused the disqualification of both Ferrari driver's results. Along with the Brit's sprint victory in China, the two drivers finished eighth and tenth in Australia in the week prior, bringing the team a total of 17 points in their fight for the Constructors' championship.

Now, Leclerc has opened up about how the start of this year has affected the team. He said (via F1):

“The first two races were difficult, the pace was not where we expected it to be, and to lose even more points than we already did with that, it hurts the team a lot. I’m confident we’ve learned from it."

The next race on the calendar is this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place from April 4-6.