10 Minutes With… Charles Leclerc
You’re close to your home in Monaco right now, Charles, but where’s your favourite place to travel?
Mexico and Australia – those are probably the two I love most. Mexico, for its uniqueness. When you arrive, it's just different to anywhere else in the world, and it has that strong identity. We go for the Day of the Dead, which is a huge event there, so it's very rich culturally. I've got quite a lot of Mexican friends, and my wife is half Mexican, so we have a special link. But I also love food in general, so it's the tacos too – I'm crazy about them. That's what I most look forward to.
You’ve had some downtime recently – how did you spend it?
Really just spending time with my loved ones. We're travelling everywhere, the season is quite packed, so whenever I get a few days off, the most important thing is to spend time with the people who matter to me – the people who really know me from before everything got a little bit crazy. I maximised that as much as I could.
Was it just pure chill with them?
Sport is always around. It's very much part of my days, whether they're off days or work days – it never stops. And music as well. I play the piano – it's one of my passions, I actually compose – so music is a big part of those days too.
Setting aside the driving at 200mph, what's the most daredevil thing you do?
I'm quite an adrenaline person in general. I went skydiving, which I really enjoyed, but I think Ferrari enjoyed it a lot less, so I'm not really allowed to do it again. I'll probably try to get my lessons in when Formula 1 is done. Apart from that, I like diving, which is maybe the closest to daredevil I can get right now. But risk isn't really part of my lifestyle at the moment; I already take quite a bit of it on the track, and I have a few responsibilities there, so I can't afford too many risks off it.
Tell us about a road car you'd love to own one day…
The F40. Ferrari has done many iconic cars, but for me the F40 is the one. Honestly, it’s just the look. It's a statement, and it's such a cool car. The noise and the way it drives are quite raw too – there wasn't all the technology there is today, so everything was very raw. That's something I particularly like about it.
Any other burning ambitions away from the track?
Honestly, just to be happy, and not to have a complex life – which is quite tricky, because life has become a little bit more complex. Everything requires more organisation now. We can't really live a completely normal life, mostly because of the popularity of Formula 1 rising, so keeping life as simple as possible, and being as happy as possible – those are the two ambitions.
Where do you find your style inspiration?
I'm a very curious person, and thanks to Formula 1 I'm lucky enough to travel all over the world. I wouldn't say my inspiration comes from one particular thing – it's more about having the possibility to travel, and seeing so many different things, people and cultures. That allows you to be very creative, because you've seen so many different ways of thinking. Taste changes so much from one side of the world to the other, and it's fascinating to see. So that's where I draw inspiration from – being open-minded. There's no right or wrong; there's only what makes you feel best about what you do, what feels most genuinely you. That's what matters most.
What’s caught your eye recently?
Japan has always been a place that really inspires me. I haven't done anything yet on the kind of vibe I get there, but it's something I might try to dig into a bit further one day.
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And when did grooming start to matter to you?
There are two answers, really. For hair products, the answer is my whole life, because my mum is a hairdresser, so I grew up with products all over the house. Skincare came around five or six years ago, starting very simply with a hydrating cream and evolving from there, with a few tips from my wife Alexandra along the way.
Is there a product you use that might surprise us?
The obvious ones are the cleanser and the hydrating cream. On top of those I use three more: a serum, an eye cream and the anti-age night cream. The anti-age one is probably the surprise – I'm only 28, so people might not expect that. But it's more about anticipating than reacting.
Why L'Oréal Paris specifically?
It comes back to my childhood – growing up with my mum being a hairdresser, seeing those products everywhere in the house. I remember very clearly watching TV and there were always those iconic L'Oréal Paris commercials. To now be on the other side of the TV is a little bit strange, and feels crazy.
And finally, Charles, what keeps you motivated?
Just pushing the boundaries. Whenever you feel like you've done a good job, you think two or three steps further, and try to push the limits in whatever you do. That's what I enjoy, and where I take my motivation from – looking at the next step, what can be improved, what can be better. It's not only beautiful and positive, though. Sometimes you have setbacks, and you have to analyse those without being too affected emotionally; just go forward and try to be a better version of yourself, as a person and as a driver. That continuous improvement is probably what motivates me most.
Charles Leclerc is the new global ambassador for L'Oréal Paris Men Expert. Discover the range at LOreal-Paris.co.uk.
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