Do we like them?

Do we like Charles Leclerc?

Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record with some real decency, but thin on using his platform for others, and one contested call in 2020.

Leclerc is Ferrari's homegrown hero, a Monaco local driving the most famous red car on the grid. His previous contract, signed in January 2024, ran to the end of 2029, and in June 2026 Ferrari extended him again on a multi-year deal. He said he was keen to win the world championship with the team and bring it back to Maranello.

This season has been a grind rather than a triumph. After the Miami Grand Prix he defended the 2026 rules when plenty of others were grumbling, calling himself “a bit of an outlier on the grid” for doing so. He said the racing had improved and the rule changes were a step in the right direction, which is a fair, grown-up take.

His one proper disciplinary blot is a funny one. After the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix he swore in a press conference while describing losing second place, and the FIA stewards fined him €10,000, half suspended. He apologised straight away, and the stewards judged it less serious than Max Verstappen's earlier case. That is a bloke who let one slip, not a pattern.

On the harm test the record is quiet. In 2020 he didn't kneel before races, wore an anti-racism shirt and was accused online of racism for weeks. He answered with “I am not racist and I absolutely hate racism.” He also said he didn't want to be involved in politics. Where you land depends on whether you read that as sitting out a gesture or sitting out the cause. I found no anti-LGBTQ+ campaigning, no conspiracy-theory slide and no dodgy company. I also found no strong climate record and no verified LGBTQ+ advocacy, so that's the gap.

So would we support him? Yes. He's no activist, and we'd love a louder word on trans rights and the planet, but there's no harm on the page and some real kindness. The 2020 kneeling call keeps him off the top shelf.