Who is Charles Leclerc? Where is Ferrari F1 driver from, nationality, girlfriend, height of five-time GP winner

Charles Leclerc was one of the stars of the 2022 season. He has long been a fan favourite in Formula 1 and returns to the grid once more as the 2023 season kicks off. Leclerc finished second in the driver’s championship in 2022 despite a strong start to the year which saw him finish first in the first and third races.

Ferrari were soon plagued with strategic and mechanical failures that quickly saw the Monegasque’s title hopes quickly dissipate. However, Leclerc was able to hold onto his second place finish despite fierce competition from Red Bull’s Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez and he ended the year on 308 points, just three points ahead of the Mexican.

He had three race wins in 2022 (Bahrain, Australia and Austria) and had 11 podiums in total. Leclerc failed to finish on three occasions but in the races he finished, his lowest position was sixth.

As he prepares to race for the Italian Horses once more, here is all you need to know about the Monegasque driver...

Where is Charles Leclerc from?

Leclerc, born in 1997, is from Monte Carlo, Monaco and races under Monaco’s flag. He often refutes suggestions of being French and is a proud Monegasque.

Leclerc is fluent in French, Italian and English. He also speaks Spanish - helping him converse with his teammate Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc Racing career

The 25-year-old began karting in 2005, winning the French PACA Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

His Formula 3 career started in 2015 before rising up to F2 in 2017. He claimed the FIA Formula 2 Championship in his rookie season.

It was in 2016 that the godson of Jules Bianchi joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and acted as development driver for Haas F1 team and Scuderia Ferrari.

It was thought that if Leclerc won the GP3 Series Championship, he would go directly into the Haas seat in F1, but the Haas Team Principal debunked this plan and Leclerc went back to F2.

The driver signed with Sauber in 2018 and finished 13th in the Championship with 39 points, out-qualifying his teammate Marcus Ericsson 17 out of 21 races. He also won Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season.

Leclerc then moved up the ranks to sign with Ferrari in 2019 and won his first ever Grand Prix at the Belgian Grand Prix - the day after his friend and former competitor Anthoine Hubert was killed in an accident during the Formula 2 feature race.

The following week, Leclerc took his second F1 victory at the Italian Grand Prix and had to wait nearly 18 months before his next victory. Leclerc is due to remain with Ferrari until at least 2024. In total he now has five Grand Prix wins and 24 podiums to his name.

How tall is Charles Leclerc?

Leclerc is 1.8 metres tall (Five feet nine inches).

Who is Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend?

Leclerc had been dating Charlotte Sine, a Monegasque resident and architecture student, for nearly three years but the couple announced they had separated on Instagram back in December 2022.

Sine regularly posts photos of her travels, with and without Charles, on her Instagram to her 423k followers.

Like her now ex-boyfriend, she speaks French, English and Italian.

When will Charles Leclerc next race?

It will not be long before Leclerc is back in action. Formula 1 returns this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix