Charles Leclerc believes that his Monaco upbringing was key to teaching him the values needed in Formula 1. The Ferrari driver was born and raised in the principality and feels that this upbringing taught him to work hard and respect others, qualities he believes have been key to his success in F1. "These two values are probably the most important," Leclerc told CNN. "Monaco has given me most of the values that I try to share in Formula 1. I'm just very, very proud and very happy to be born there." Monte Carlo is famed for its reputation of opulence, with many residents there being millionaires given its tax status. However, Leclerc doesn't view Monaco in this way and insists he lives a more humble life. "From outside, I don't think it gives the same image as the image I have of my own city," the 23-year-old said. "I have all my friends, all of my family, and there's not all these glamorous parts of it, this party side. Of course, there's also this side of Monaco, but I don't feel it when I'm there, it's more relaxing." Leclerc's home city of course has strong links with Formula 1; not only do many drivers reside there but the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most famous and iconic on the calendar. There was no such home luck for Leclerc this year though. The Monagesque secured pole position for the race but a crash at the end of qualifying left him with damage to his car, which resulted in Leclerc being unable to start the Grand Prix. Ferrari have not been able to reach the level of competitiveness seen by title rivals Mercedes and Red Bull in 2021, but Leclerc is hopeful that the Scuderia can continue to move forwards. "I'm not frustrated, but I want to be back in the fight with the top guys like we were in 2019. So there's a lot of motivation for the whole team because we don't want Ferrari to be fighting for fifth or sixth place," Leclerc explained. "But on the other hand, it's very good to finally see a fight between two teams for a world title. I think people are enjoying it."
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