IT'S 6AM ON THE FRIDAY OF THE MONACO Grand Prix weekend. There's a good chance the real excitement will be over tomorrow afternoon once Q3 is complete. The Monaco GP is an amazing event but more often than not, a horrible motor race. But that doesn't matter, because the build-up is about to begin in earnest to Charles Leclerc's final, dazzling qualifying lap. Maybe he'll stick it on pole. Maybe he'll stick it into the wall. Maybe... no, that's about the only two possibilities I foresee right now. The man is an artist and heroically committed. Even the relentless talent of Max Verstappen doesn't conjure the same excitement as Ferrari's star man when he's shooting for pole on the streets of Monaco.
Or anywhere else for that matter. Is Charles quicker than Max? It's impossible to say. He's certainly not as consistent, he doesn't have the metronomic and devastating race pace that must be so demoralising to try to compete against, nor is he as ruthless in wheel-to-wheel situations. Yet Leclerc has something magical and intangible.
You just can't keep your eyes away from his Ferrari being danced, dragged, bullied, teased and caressed all at once until it delivers a lap time far beyond what it has any right to record. There's something so raw about the car's body language.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Cupra Formentor Abt
It's farewell to the original Cupra Formentor with an Abt-tuned run-out package. It's a quietly excellent car; just a shame about the price...
Renault Sport Clio 200 Turbo
This misguided departure from the French brand's hot hatch heritage saw the Clio fall from grace
REBIRTH OF AN ICON
The Kalmar 9X9 is a modernday reinterpretation of Porsche's game-changing 959 supercar, with a carbon body and up to 917bhp. And evo is helping to develop it
Volkswagen Golf GTI
The underachieving Mk8 GTI gets a shot at redemption with the new, revised Mk8.5 version. Is it the leap forward it needs to be?
BEST BUYS
FAST FORDS FROM THE CORTINA TO THE ESCORT AND THE FIESTA, Ford is responsible for some of the most popular cars in British history. But alongside these everyday machines it has also produced a stream of desirable driver's cars.
HY AND DRY
The switch to electric power means an early exit for Hyundai N's brilliant ICE hot hatch duo. We go for a farewell drive in the 120 N
SEXY BEAST
The Vanquish name is back for Aston Martin's latest seriesproduction flagship, with a stunning new look and simply brutal performance from an 824bhp twin-turbo V12
THE JOY OF DRIVING
From mastering the everyday commute to unlocking the full potential of your performance car, our new series will help you become safer, more confident and ultimately more skilled behind the wheel
TINY DANCER
You haven't seen a Mini dance like this before, but then you haven't seen a Mini with a 4-litre M Power V8 under the bonnet and rear-wheel drive. Introducing Vini...
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
Grandaddy to the Temerario and the car that transformed Lamborghini was the brilliant, V10-engined Gallardo. We get reacquainted with a Lambo legend