​MILAN —Charles Leclerc has never known life without racing. After all, the Formula 1 driver competed in his first race at age 3-and-a-half.
All the life decisions that followed — including those on style — have been somewhat shaped by the values and mindset the motorsport has instilled in him.More from WWDCharles Leclerc on Margiela Tabis, Upcoming Grandmaster Chess Match and His Growing FamilyEXCLUSIVE: Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière Designs Custom Porsche 911 With Luxury Restoration Specialist SingerLVMH Unveils VIP Chef-and-Champagne Experience at Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix
Ahead of the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia 2026 to be held at Monza, Italy, from Friday to Sunday, the driver was in Milan to celebrate the launch of the Puma for Scuderia Ferrari HP Monza limited-edition collection.
The range pays homage to the legacy of Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher’s decade-long tenure at the Italian racing team, exactly 30 years after he first joined it and won on the Monza circuit in 1996 and two decades since his final victory with the team, scored at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix.
Earlier in the day Scuderia Ferrari unveiled a special, one-off livery for their home race at Monza and bespoke race suits to be sported by Leclerc and his teammate Lewis Hamilton, paying tribute to the seven-time German World Champion.
Nostalgia will be part of the equation at Monza, as will the race’s emotional weight.
“I see [Michael Schumacher] as inspiration, he is an icon of Ferrari, of Formula 1, of sports and even beyond that he’s the expression of talent, but backed by such incredible hard work and that is super respectable,” Leclerc said while attending an event for the unveiling of the special collection hosted by hip retailer End.
“I obviously grew up dreaming of following in the footsteps of Michael,” he said. “I never really thought that this would be possible. That I would end up at Ferrari. Of course, he’s won a lot more than me and I would love to follow in his footsteps and become a world champion one day… he’s definitely an inspiration… And that [comparison] also comes with responsibility. But it’s a team I love so much that I don’t feel the pressure too much,” he said.A picture of Michael Schumacher during his tenure at Scuderia Ferrari.Courtesy of Puma and Scuderia Ferrari
Leclerc is a two-time Monza Grand Prix winner, in 2019 and 2024. He currently ranks fifth in the World Drivers’ Championship, two places behind his teammate Hamilton.
The Monza circuit raises expectations among Ferrari’s “tifosi,” the Italian word for “fans,” who hope the home race will prove a lucky charm, as it did for Schumacher, who bagged the Italian Grand Prix five times with Ferrari.
The Schumacher decade at the team indeed cemented Scuderia Ferrari’s dominance in motorsport.
“It’s an era that we want to reproduce and come back to. That’s what we are working day and night to try and get