Plug “MC24 (1:4)” or “SIN24 (1:5)” into Spotify or Apple Music, and you’ll find thumbnails of a silhouetted head—boyish profile, messy hair, patrician jawline—set against an atmospheric blue background. Motorsports fans will likely recognize the face: It belongs to Charles Leclerc, the Monégasque Formula 1 megastar. But here, he’s far from the autodrome. “MC24” and “SIN24” are the latest piano compositions in a catalog Leclerc, a mostly self-taught virtuoso, has been quietly building since 2023.
“I’m obviously moving around everywhere, and playing the piano is a time for me to slow down and to think about things other than [F1],” the 27-year-old says during a Zoom call. We’re speaking ahead of this weekend’s Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the first of 24 worldwide Formula 1 summits in 2025.
“I always feel pretty happy and energized,” Leclerc continues, “but for some reason, the way I like to calm myself is by listening to melancholic music. So I compose melancholic music because it’s just a way for me to disconnect.” Music is his biggest personal interest after, well, cars. Though he’d played a little in childhood, his passion for the piano solidified during the COVID-19 years, when he had a bit more time on his hands.
Some way to change gears is a real necessity for a guy like Leclerc, whose professional (and public) life hinges, really, on how fast he can go. He has been Ferrari’s star F1 driver since 2019, his celebrity underpinned by his good looks and expanded by Netflix’s docuseries Drive to Survive, which introduced millions of Americans to the autosport. He commands a personal audience in the tens of millions on social media, and has totaled eight wins so far across his career—one that started from a spark set by his late father, Hervé, who was a Formula 3 driver back in the day. (Leclerc fondly recalls the pair listening to “Where Is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas while traveling to his go-kart competitions.)
Until the end of last year, Ferrari’s other big name was Carlos Sainz (F1 teams compete in teams of two), but 2025 sees the arrival of the 105-time Grand Prix winner and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, 40. Hamilton’s transfer from Mercedes-Benz has made the current Prancing Horses the most visible (and, inevitably, scrutinized) duo in the sport.
