Charles Leclerc on Melbourne, music and racing for Ferrari in 2025

IT MIGHT BE a left-field question for a podium-collecting Formula 1 driver, but ask Charles Leclerc what his dream bar would look like, and he’ll tell you that, firstly, it should be a “cosy, discrete place”, with an overarching air of meticulousness. It should definitely have a chess board, one of Leclerc’s passions and, importantly, a piano, with a pianist playing. The instrument holds a special place in Leclerc’s heart – so much so he released his own record last year in collaboration with French pianist, Sofiane Pamart, called ‘Dreamers’.  

As it would happen, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix this week, Chivas Regal announced Leclerc as its new global brand ambassador. To celebrate the partnership, the Scottish whisky brand granted the Monégasque driver his wish for one night: a dark and moody piano bar with his name above the door called Leclerc’s. While it didn’t include a chess board, it did have a piano in prime, or perhaps, pole position – which the driver said he’d rather someone else play in public.

We popped into Leclerc’s to join the charismatic, charming and passionate full-time driver, part-time composer for a whisky cocktail – a mocktail for Leclerc (it is race week, after all) – to talk all things precision, piano, the new Chivas Regal partnership and the incoming Formula 1 Grand Prix season. 

Esquire Australia: We’re here celebrating your partnership with Chivas Regal. Whisky often talks about craftsmanship, heritage and provenance. Where do those things show up for you in your personal life?

Charles Leclerc: Where I really thought that it was super interesting is, first of all, the values. Our values are very, very similar. My [number] one is about crafting the perfect driving style and taking the time to do so. When I went to Scotland and actually visited the distillery, the amount of passion that is put into trying to do the perfect blend was super interesting because these are values that are very important to me, as well as the importance of celebrating every small or big moment.

As a Formula 1 driver, it’s very easy to take for granted the small moments that you have with your family, because we live in a world that is quite crazy, in the way that we go from one place to the other. There’s a lot of craziness everywhere we go [laughs]. And so, the simple moments are very important, and you have to take a step back and actually enjoy them. So, for these two things, I think it was a really good fit.

Meticulousness seems to be something of a common theme in your life, not just in racing, but in how you developed your ice-cream brand, LEC, and in your music – which not everyone might know is a passion of yours. This idea and value must have felt personal to you, no?

Yes, there was a very, very interesting bridge with music, which is a big, big part of my life. Composing the perfect song, where every note is important, [is] just like making the perfect blend. So, there were lots of connections. And definitely, definitely in Formula 1. It’s all about taking small steps in the right direction, changing a few things and then readjusting and trying to get better. So, yes, this is all a big part of my life.

You have talked in the past about your love of piano, which you picked up during the pandemic. Last year, you released your first record with Sofiane Pamart, ‘Dreamers’. What exactly drew you to the piano as an instrument?

I also play guitar, but I’ve always loved the melancholic sound of the piano. I am a very happy person. Even though people I speak to say they have doubts about how happy I am! [laughs] Because I listen to a lot of melancholic songs; that’s the way I am. I love the soothing feeling that you get from listening to a melancholic song, so when I started to play piano, that’s what I loved most about that instrument. For me, it’s the best instrument to actually try and show or reveal emotions. That’s why I chose the piano.

Also, my younger brother used to play piano when we were young, so we always had a piano at home. I didn’t really play on it, but I could hear it. So, I guess there was also a special connection.

How does Arthur [Leclerc, also a racing driver and current F1 development driver for Scuderia Ferrari] feel now that you’re getting all this press about your piano playing?

[Laughs] Well, he’s actually really good. He’s probably better than me, technically [laughs]. And he’s working on a few songs. I don’t know if he’s going to release them, but no, he enjoys it, and yeah, we need to do something together. So, who knows, maybe we’ll do a song together one day.

Who are your favourite pianists or composers?

One of my favourite piano artists is probably Sofiane Pamart, who I did the EP with, and I loved every single moment of it. Another pianist I love is Riopy. He’s a bit less known, but I love what he does. [Italian pianist and composer] Ludovico Einaudi – I love what he does. Hans Zimmer too. I listen to any kind of music, really. So, it’s not only about a particular genre. I love music in general. Even the genres that I don’t quite like yet, I’m very curious about them and trying to understand what’s behind it. Like, jazz, for example. It’s not a genre that I will listen naturally, but I’m very curious about it, and I try to listen more and more to try and get something out of it.

Your music is directly inspired by the Grand Prix races you compete in, so that’s a nice little blend of your passions too.

Yes, well, basically, I name the songs based on the way the engineers name the events on the computer. So, whenever we do the Singapore Grand Prix, it’s SIN24 or SIN25, depending on the year. That’s why I name the songs, and it’s basically when I composed that music. So, for Singapore, SIN24, which we released recently, it’s named that way because I had composed that music at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2024. There’s always a connection to racing because I’m always on the road. Whenever I actually compose, it’s around a Grand Prix or on a Grand Prix, and it’s basically trying to showcase the way I felt at that particular moment, at that particular race, in the best possible way. 

As I’ve said many times, piano is a big passion of mine. I wish I had more time available to get better. I still remain quite limited in the way I can express this because my piano skills are not that good [laughs]. That is what was super interesting when I did the song with Sofiane Pamart, because then straight away I had no technical limitation, you know? Because he was there to help. And those are the only songs I didn’t use the [race] track names because it was done in the offseason.

We are meeting on the eve of the first race of the season. Tell us about what’s going through your head, where you’re at, and what you’ve been prepping this year compared to last?

I don’t think there’s anything different to the years before. I think the first years when you’re arriving in Formula 1, everything is different. You’ve got to change massively the way you work. Now, starting my eighth season of Formula 1, my seventh season with Ferrari – I feel old saying that even though I’m still pretty young [laughs] – you don’t completely change from one year to the other in the way you work. You just try and improve and finetune it. It’s all about pushing myself more and more in the way I train myself, in the way I approach a weekend. It’s finetuning more than actual big changes. So yeah, but I feel ready, more ready than ever.

Obviously, it’s a very special season for Ferrari with Lewis [Hamilton], who has joined the team, so there’s been quite a lot of the spotlight on Lewis, which is completely understandable, with him being a legend of the sport. But I just focus on myself, try to push my way of training and just feel as ready and as good as possible, getting into this season.

Indeed, you’ve got a new teammate in Lewis Hamilton – your third Scuderia Ferrari teammate, and not the first world champion you’ve raced alongside. What does having someone new in the team give you as an advantage?

I think one of the most important things is learning the way other teams are working. Lewis was with Mercedes, Carlos [Sainz] when he joined, he was with McLaren; I joined Ferrari when Seb [Vettel] was already there, so that was different. But you can learn a huge amount and it just opens up your mind in ways around how other people are working. It’s super interesting to see that, and then just to learn from what he [Lewis] does, the way he discusses things with his engineers, the way he actually drives, and all these kinds of things. I’m really looking forward to discovering.

You’ve got a home turf advantage because you’ve got many years with Ferrari under your belt.

I know Ferrari very well [smiles].

The Australian Grand Prix has the biggest Scuderia Ferrari fan base, or the Tifosi, of any race on the circuit. Talk to us about the support you get here and how you feel about coming to Melbourne.

I love Australia. I’ve always said, the track itself, I’m not a huge fan of, but the country is probably my favourite place in the whole world, of where we go [to race]. And I’m not saying that because we’re here, I promise you! [laughs]. But every time I have someone ask me which race we shall do, I always say Australia, because it’s a beautiful place, and honestly, the way everybody smiles here makes it so much better as well [smiles]. That sounds very fake that I’m saying that while I’m in Australia [laughs]. But I promise you, I will say that anywhere else in the world. We have a lot of support, and obviously, being a Ferrari driver, everywhere we go, there’s a lot of support. It just feels crazy here, as much as it feels crazy everywhere. It’s a special feeling.

As Sebastian Vettel said, every F1 fan is a Ferrari fan. And these days, there are more fans than ever. The growth the sport has experienced must be an amazing thing to witness.

It’s a special feeling to be a Ferrari driver. I think it’s been my dream since I was a child. Even though I had confidence that I could make it, I never really thought this was possible. And to be in that situation now, I feel very lucky. 

And as you said, Formula 1 has changed so much over the past seven or eight years. We can definitely sense that. Before, when I used to come to Australia, it was definitely not as crazy as it is now [laughs]. But it’s a good thing. I enjoy that, and it’s a good feeling. Now that we’re seeing a new generation of fans getting into Formula 1, I think this is super important for the future of the sport. And that’s a great thing to see.

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