“I had so many thoughts of the people I have mentioned already, in the last 10 laps, and that was very difficult to manage. Even though I knew the pace was extremely good, you have to stay on it on a track like this, and it was very, very difficult.”
Leclerc expanded on those comments in the post-race drivers’ press conference, conceding that there were some tears as he completed the final few miles of a momentous race.
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Asked how emotional he was when the winner’s trophy came his way, Leclerc countered: “I think where I struggled the most to actually contain my emotions was during the last 10 laps of the race, more than on the podium.
“I realised actually two laps to the end that I was struggling to see out of the tunnel just because I had tears in my eyes. And I was like, ‘***** Charles, you cannot do that now. You still have two laps to finish’.
“Especially on a track like Monaco, you have to be on it all the way to the end. It was very difficult to contain those emotions, those thoughts again, of the people that have helped me to get to where I am today.”