"There’s a boundary not to be crossed": When Charles Leclerc urged fans to respect his private life

F1 driver Charles Leclerc once spoke about wanting fans to respect his right to have privacy. Leclerc, who posted his plea to his social media last year, spoke about his appreciation for the support of fans, but stressed the need to draw a line between his public life and his private life. Fans were known to show up at the Ferrari driver's house in Monaco asking for autographs, which is what caused Leclerc to take to his Instagram stories to make his request.

The stories, posted in April 2023, referenced his admirers showing up at his place of residence (via The New York Times):

“While I’m always happy to be there for you and truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.”

He continued:

“Your support, both in person and on social media, means the world to me, but there is a boundary that should not be crossed.”

In 2022, Leclerc was also a victim of a robbery, when two thieves who posed as fans stole his watch, worth possibly close to $2.5 million. The theft occured in Northern Italy, when the two robbers asked the driver for a selfie and made off with his watch. The Monegasque driver posted his wishes from the fans a few days after police arrested suspects related to the robbery.

Charles Leclerc finished the 2023 season in 5th place in the Drivers' championship, having scored 206 points and brought his team six podiums that season.

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Carlos Sainz's 2023 Singapore GP performance 'hurt' Charles Leclerc, says driver coach

Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari SF-24 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc's driver coach and head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Jock Clear, spoke out about how Carlos Sainz performed during the weekend of the Singapore GP in 2023 affected Charles Leclerc in a serious way. Clear also spoke about how this affected the Ferrari driver's perfomance in the 2024 season.

Speaking on the podcast F1 Nation, Clear talked about Sainz's win in the 2023 season. This was the only win that didn't go to a Red Bull driver that year, which came from Sainz outqualifying Leclerc, who should've been the one who qualified at the top of the grid. Clear said (via F1.com):

"That was a race that Charles would have gone there as a favourite to win. He often goes there with a lot of confidence, and for Carlos to nick that one under his nose really hurt. I think that sort of thing has made him focus on: ‘okay, I really need to get the job done on Sunday.’"

Speaking about what Leclerc learned from the previous year going into the new season, Clear continued:

“I think what we've seen this year is the result of us being more focused on getting the car working really well in the race and looking after those tyres, and Charles learning from previous years and honing those skills of tyre management.”

Charles Leclerc finished the 2024 season third in the Drivers' standings, having scored 356 points, which was helped by his wins in Monaco, Monza and Austin. His efforts also helped Ferrari take the second place in the Constructors' championship, losing to McLaren by only 14 points.