Leclerc told F1 not a ‘picnic’ as former driver speaks out

David Coulthard has warned Charles Leclerc that Formula 1 is “serious” and “dangerous business”, questioning whether the Ferrari star takes his “poster boy” image a little too far.

Although “blindingly fast”, Coulthard suggested Leclerc’s “family man” and “dog in the paddock” approach is a step too far, stressing that “it’s not a weekend away picnic.”

David Coulthard to Charles Leclerc: F1 is not a ‘picnic’

Leclerc made his Formula 1 debut in 2018 as a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy. After one season with Sauber, he was promoted to the Ferrari line-up in 2019.

The Monegasque subsequently established himself as the face of Ferrari, and the team’s best hope to end it title drought.

Leclerc initially maintained superiority when seven-time world champion Hamilton arrived, though the Brit has fought back in F1 2026, with little separating the pair in red in terms of outright performance.

However, Hamilton has spent much of the year ahead of his teammate in the Drivers’ standings. It sparked talk over whether Ferrari needed to prioritise Hamilton in the title fight.

But, after five rounds without a podium, that ship appears to have sailed.

During the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard, the former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull racer, was asked whether Ferrari should have already picked its number one driver at the start of the season.

He veered off-course somewhat to suggest that Leclerc goes too far with the “poster boy” driver gig.

The 28-year-old is often seen in the Formula 1 paddock flanked by his wife Alexandra, and their beloved dog Leo, the miniature long-haired dachshund. The Leclercs announced last month that they are expecting their first child.

Coulthard began by speaking about Leclerc in the context of the battle for superiority with Lewis Hamilton, before getting sidetracked: “I don’t think it was an option for them.

“You employ Lewis Hamilton and you’ve got Charles Leclerc, who’s been there for several years and is blindingly fast and a sort of poster boy for a racing driver, good looking, and he’s got all the family man, baby on the way, dog in the paddock.

“My opinion is that’s all a bit too much, quite frankly.

“It’s not a sort of weekend away picnic, is it? It’s a grand prix. It’s a serious business. It’s a dangerous business.

“But that’s probably me being of an older generation.”

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Coulthard subsequently returned to the topic at hand.

“They don’t have a choice,” he reiterated. “They’ve employed two of the best drivers in the world. You then manage them as best you can.”

He was asked who he would have picked if he had to choose between Hamilton and Leclerc.

“On last year’s performance, you’d say Charles. On this year’s performance, you’d say Lewis.

“Lewis is more consistent and scoring more points at the moment. It shouldn’t be like that because Charles is in his 20s and has got all of that raw speed and energy, and Lewis is way, way at the other end of his career. But, the facts don’t lie.”

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