Charles Leclerc: A Biography

by Adam Hay-Nicholls

From acclaimed journalist Adam Hay-Nicholls, the very first biography of rising star Charles Leclerc, published to mark the start of the 2023 Formula One season. Few of the drivers on the F1 grid have the racing pedigree of Charles Leclerc. Widely regarded as one of the sport's hottest prospects, he was crowned F3 and then F2 champion in back-to-back seasons before he made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018. Now firmly established as Ferrari's great hope, following in the footsteps of legends Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher, Leclerc has his eyes set on becoming world champion. Born in Monaco to a family of comparatively modest means, Leclerc remembers playing with toy cars on a friend's balcony as the best drivers in the world whizzed around the Monte Carlo circuit on the streets below. This early experience inspired him to get behind the wheel, encouraged by his father Hervé, and so began his meteoric rise in the sport. Along the way, he lost his father, his godfather and his best friend - all racing drivers - and this gave Leclerc the inner steel to become a winner. Writer Adam Hay-Nicholls, who has spent much of his career in the Formula One paddock, provides the inside track on this rising star, recounting how he has taken the racing world by storm. And as Leclerc's Ferrari is beginning to fire on all cylinders, will he beat his old rival and adversary Max Verstappen to the world title?

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2023

Reviews

[Gabriela (taylor's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars out of 5.

"To Charles, you are the most talented driver I came across in 15 years of F1. Don't waste it. But be sure whatever you do to be happy and smile. Thanks for everything!"

Adam Hay-Nicholls' writing was perhaps the best to comment on Leclerc's career. Charles is an extremely talented driver who happens to live through an embarrassing period for Ferrari. The writing was truthful with sometimes hints of comedy in moments where you could see misery in terms of results.

It's just the beginning of a great career for Leclerc. I'm hopeful after the end of the terrible 2023 season, which was (thank god) not covered in the book, Leclerc's Ferrari might gain the speed and mentality to win Verstappen's dominance.

The book is great for casual fans of F1 and Charles and also interesting enough for anyone more experienced in the sport.

I was given an ARC by Netgalley and I give this review voluntarily

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ I’m coming back with a review

Overall, it was a nice book, but the feeling was that the book is a collection of articles, interviews, or quotes from the Netflix series Drive to survive , especially at the end. In the beginning, we find out how Charles started his passion and hobby for karting and later on, for Formula 1, and his journey from a hard-working kid from a modest family to a winning driver for the best team on the grid - Ferrari 🤌🏼. Even though the book was mainly focused on Leclerc, the author didn't forget the other drivers with whom Charles were friends (or rather rivals like Vettel) or just rivals (Verstappen and Hamilton).
If you are not a fan of F1, do not read this because the terminology is quite specialized.
I am waiting for Charles to win a championship, then to write an autobiography that will, probably, show more of his internal emotions and thoughts in critical situations or what is like to win or lose for the 10th time to we-know-who (the Dutchman). 🏆🏎️

[Claire Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written biography. I'm a long-time Ferrari fan, and Charles is one of my favorite Ferrari drivers. A must read for any Ferrari fan, but I'm sure anyone with an interest in F1 would enjoy it.

[Tanisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from Icon Books through NetGalley and this review is based on my own opinion.

The book is about Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc.

In the first chapters a lot of names, racing categories and dates are mentioned so I got a bit overwhelmed with all the information all at once.

To me it felt that most of the book wasn't about Leclerc himself but more about everything and everyone around him.
It is understandably that there will be pieces about the Ferrari team and (older) teammates but to me it felt that the writer gave way too many extra information about other people etcetera, which makes it a book about Formula 1 in general instead of focusing on Leclerc.

It was an okay book to read, but I would not really recommend it if you want to learn more about Charles Leclerc.

[⋆⭒˚.⋆ Pauli ⋆⭒˚.⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book. Anyone who’d like to get to know
Formula 1 (specifically Ferrari and Charles Leclerc) should read this. It is very well structured and has a lot of in depth insides about the sport, its drivers, history etc. which give you a good picture of what F1 is about. The writing of the author is very funny actually which made even the technical parts (description of cars, strategy…which I normally find quite boring) easy to read and understandable.
Of course this books main focus was on Charles, which as a fan was really nice because you get a lot more insides about his character, his family and what he thinks of himself…although most of it I already knew ☺️☺️

[Kristi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, love the beginning. I love reading the history of f1, and Leclerc was no different. I will say, it was slow at the end. Now, to be fair, a lot of his recent history is just the races, so there’s not much to add. Loved it nevertheless!

[Hannah Bussmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leclercs Biographie ist äußerst informativ und beinhaltet alle seine Stationen seit der Kindheit mit vielen Einzelheiten. Allerdings hätte ich mir ein bisschen weniger Namedropping und mehr persönliche Einblicke in sein Leben gewünscht.

[kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

charles 3

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley.

This is a real let down.

The first half of the book is good, showing how Charles and his family gave up so much to give him the best chance of success.

Unfortunately once he joins Ferrari the book is more about the Team than about Charles.

Very disappointing.

[Nina Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid biography, I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know about Charles, but I liked the writing and it was factual rather than dramatic.

[Cayla Pilcher]

I really enjoyed the timeline of this book but it definitely felt like more of an overall F1 or Ferrari book than a Leclerc book.
Sometimes it felt like Hamilton and Vettel were mentioned more.

[Laurien · Rating 1 out of 5]

Via Kobo Plus. Gestopt na 11%. Slechte schrijver, te lange zinnen en teveel overbodige informatie. Niet makkeljk te lezen en ook niet interessant om te lezen

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know me then you won’t be surprised this is an immediate 5 star read 🏎️ but also was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail including every race of Charles’ F1 career up until the end of the 2022 season. Some interesting stories from his childhood too and a nice summary of his interviews through the years.