Speed, Style,
Sleep, Repeat.

From hearing engines echo through his Monte Carlo schoolyard to racing on those same streets as a Formula 1 winner, Charles Leclerc’s journey has been anything but ordinary. In the latest episode of the Go Wild podcast, the PUMA athlete and Scuderia Ferrari HP driver opens up about his path to the pinnacle of motorsport, the sacrifices no one sees, and the discipline it takes to stay fast – on track and in life.

Humble beginnings. Big dreams.

You might think growing up in Monaco means luxury. For Charles, it meant community—and a childhood full of noise, speed, and dreams.

“There are only 8 or 9,000 Monegasques. We all know each other. We all grew up in the same schools,” he shares.

As a kid, he could hear Formula 1 cars roar through the streets during school breaks. That sound? It became his soundtrack to ambition. The dream wasn’t to just watch – it was to race. But the road ahead wasn’t smooth.

“Motorsport is amazing but very hard to get into – it’s not just talent and hard work, it’s finances,” Charles says. His family couldn’t afford the racing dream. But talent, passion, and persistence opened the right doors. When manager Nicolas Todt decided to invest in him, everything changed. Belief turned into opportunity. That’s when the chase truly began.

Making it to F1 is one thing. Performing in it? That’s another level.
“In F2 and F3, there’s not so much spotlight. But in F1, everyone’s watching – and judging,” he explains. The weight of expectation was heavy. But Charles did what he always does: „I just drove, which is what I love most.”

Charles also talks about finding his authentic identity through style and explains, “I just want to be me and to be at ease with who you are as a person and the way you look and the way you dress is, for me, extremely important for just being a happy person.”

The physical side of racing?

“People underestimate it,” Charles says. Behind the wheel, his body is constantly under pressure. Staying sharp means training smart, sleeping well, and recovering like a pro.

Speaking about recovering like a pro: Charles also shares, that he can sleep up to 12 hours and uses light therapy to adjust to different time zones before a race. But: “It’s not only about the physical recovery, but it’s also about the mental recovery. We’ve got to be on it, mentally all the time. So recovery is a very important part, especially when from the first race to the last race, it’s all about gym training and training in general in order to be physically at the top when the season starts.”

His wild side

Tune in to find out who Charles thinks is the most stylish F1 driver, what his post-retirement dream looks like, and which song gets him race-ready.

🎧 Give it a listen and get inspired to chase your own dreams!