Watch: Cringeworthy Video Of Charles Leclerc Crashing Iconic Lauda Ferrari F1 Car In Monaco

Monegasque Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc hasn’t had the best track record at the tight Monaco street circuit, and the cherry on top is this wince-inducing video of him crashing one of the most iconic cars in Ferrari’s racing history. At least he could walk home afterwards…

As part of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Leclerc was given the honour of driving Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari F1 car. As Leclerc takes Rascasse, he loses grip on the rear wheels and slams into the wall backwards, leaving the antique’s rear end mangled – eek.

At first glance it appeared he was struggling to get used to driving the antiquated F1 car, but it later transpired that the car had a brake failure, with a shattered brake disc littering the track at the scene of the accident. The loss of braking power at one side of the car caused the abrupt spin and Leclerc’s blushes.

Niki Lauda drove the car in his debut season of Formula 1 in 1974, but several issues with the car prevented him from becoming serious competition against his rivals. He then went on to win his first world title in 1975, followed by two more in 1977 and 1984.

Leclerc’s expensive incident is not the first issue he’s had in Monaco – he crashed out during his debut F1 race in Monaco competing for Sauber, and had to retire from the 2019 race for Ferrari. More recently in the 2021 season, a crash during qualifying caused damage to Leclerc’s driveshaft hub, which later failed in a pre-race reconnaissance lap. The Ferrari team had to withdraw from the race before it had even started.

Leclerc poked fun at his Monaco misfortune, later tweeting: “When you thought you already had all the bad luck of the world in Monaco and you lose the brakes into rascasse with one of the most iconic historical Ferrari Formula 1 cars.”