Celebrating Charles Leclerc's 29th birthday today calls for a revisit to his most memorable races in Formula 1. Dubbed "Ferrari's favorite child," the Monegasque driver gave the Tifosi plenty to cheer for since joining the team in 2019.
So, let's turn back the clock a bit and return to Leclerc's best career Grand Prix wins as a Ferrari driver.
5. 2022 Australian Grand Prix
The first three races of 2022 gave the Tifosi so much hope. Ferrari started the season with a 1-2 finish in Bahrain, then Leclerc dominated the Australian Grand Prix a couple of races later.
The Monegasque driver snatched pole position on Saturday, and followed it up with a convincing victory on Sunday. He won Melbourne by 20 seconds over Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
This race showed what Leclerc can do in a strong, reliable car.
4. 2024 Italian GP
Ferrari headed into their home race as underdogs to McLaren. In fact, Leclerc only qualified fourth in the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking the front row.
But the two McLaren drivers fought on the opening lap, and Leclerc took advantage by storming to P2 behind Piastri. Then, while most teams opted for a safer two-stop strategy, Ferrari and Leclerc rolled the dice on a one-stop plan.
Under intense pressure with Piastri closing down the gap on fresher rubber, Leclerc managed his tyres well and surprised the home crowd with a Ferrari win.
3. 2019 Monza GP
We can still hear it. "He won in Spa, he wins in Monza!"
David Croft's iconic call of Leclerc's first win in Ferrari's home race was nothing short of legendary.
Leclerc had to face non-stop pressure from Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Mercedes was hoping that the then-21-year-old Leclerc would make a mistake, but it was Hamilton and Bottas who committed costly errors while chasing the Ferrari driver.
The young Leclerc fended off Mercedes and went on to win in the Temple of Speed.
2. 2024 Monaco GP
The "Curse of Monaco" was no joke for the home hero. Born on the streets of Monte Carlo, Leclerc endured years of heartbreak in the Monaco Grand Prix.
But in 2024, he controlled the race from pole and became the first Monegasque winner of the Monaco GP in the World Championship era since Louis Chiron did it in 1931.
While Leclerc was rounding to the final corner of the final lap, Alex Jacques' emotional commentary about the Ferrari driver's promise to his late father, Herve, made the moment even more memorable.
1. 2019 Belgian GP
During the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc qualified for pole on Saturday by convincing fashion. His Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel joined him on the front row, but the veteran driver was +0.748 behind Leclerc's fastest time in Q3.
However, a grave Formula 2 incident marred that day in Spa. Leclerc's friend, Anthoine Hubert, died in a F2 crash on Saturday. Leclerc had already lost his father two years earlier and his mentor and godfather, Jules Bianchi, before that.
But Leclerc put his head down and went to work on Sunday, holding off Hamilton to cross the line first. He dedicated the win to Hubert, making his first career F1 victory more significant.