"I will be surprised if we are not in the mix": Charles Leclerc confident about Ferrari's shot at Monaco GP pole

Ahead of his home race at Circuit de Monaco, Charles Leclerc has expressed confidence in Ferrari's chances at the pole position for Monaco Grand Prix. Ferrari enter the race weekend on the heels of a major upgrade package that was introduced in the Emilia-Romagna GP.

Charles Leclerc enters the Monaco GP with the aim of breaking his infamous "curse." The 26-year-old Monegasque driver has had a tumultuous past in his home race, accumulating a number of DNFs and lackluster performances that have led to fans coining the term of Leclerc's curse.

Despite never finishing above fourth place on the streets where he grew up, Leclerc remains optimistic—especially given his competitive form in previous years around Monaco. This year, he is determined to change his luck.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc hinted at his confidence when adddressing his team's chances at the circuit. Leclerc said (via F1.com):

"I feel like in Monaco, you always start a little bit from scratch. As much as what we've seen in the last few races, I think it won't be too different. There still can be some surprises. We've seen it in 2021, I think, with us, where we were nowhere but then we got to Monaco and our car was working very well."

He added:

"So we'll have to see after Friday where we are compared to the others. But I will be surprised if we are not in the mix for pole, at least."

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Charles Leclerc not to be contempt with a podium finish, aims for the win

Leclerc's best finish in Monaco, P4, came in 2021 when the Monegasque driver, despite starting from pole, missed out on a podium finish. When asked if finishing inside the top 3 would mean a lot to him, Leclerc answered:

"Not much. I mean, second or third is not really something that excites me. So the win is what we need to target. We've seen in the last few races that Red Bull, McLaren and ourselves are pretty close in qualifying."

Leclerc highlighted the critical role of qualifying in Monaco. Due to the narrow and twisty nature of the circuit, overtaking is extremely challenging, making a strong qualifying performance essential for race success.

Charles Leclerc added:

"And we know how important qualifying is here. So we'll have to put everything together. And if we're on pole, then that will give us good chances to get what we want, which is the win."

Leclerc currently finds himself at second position in the F1 Drivers' standings. Yet to win a race, the Ferrari ace has secured four podium finishes and has 113 points.