Charles Leclerc switches sports ahead of 2026 F1 season (with mixed success)

Charles Leclerc at Monza — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off the Track

Charles Leclerc switches sports ahead of 2026 F1 season (with mixed success)

Wheels good, boots bad

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 25 January 2026 16:52

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There's nothing a millionaire can do that's more humanising than just being really, sincerely bad at something.

Speaking of which...anyone seen Charles Leclerc playing football this weekend?

The Ferrari driver was taking a break from a busy week (the team launched the SF-26 on Friday, don'tcha know?) to play in the annual charity Fight AIDS Cup at AS Monaco's Stade Louis II this weekend, and it...well, it's a good job he's an F1 driver.

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We're in no position to throw stones here – at a post-work 5-a-side game, one particular writer managed to defy physics and give away a free kick for handball instead of tapping in from six yards out – but Leclerc doesn't seem suited to a football pitch.

Leclerc's 'coordination problem' shows up

Obviously he will, and should, keep coming back to his home country to play in the charity game! And in all fairness, he is one of just two non-footballers in the match (alongside Louis Ducruet, the son of Princess Stephanie of Monaco), so he's already got his work cut out.

Bona fide football legends like Eden Hazard, Andriy Shevchenko and, uh, Bafetimbi Gomis were all slated to be on the pitch, which makes life significantly harder for a man who – by his own admission – only laces up his boots once a year, for this game.

"Still just as difficult," he admitted on the pitch. "Unfortunately, I play once a year and it's on this occasion... it’s the first time I've played in two years, it was very difficult. I have a huge coordination problem when I have the ball while running, but well, we’re having fun."

The Monegasque also showed that his 'coordination problem' isn't limited to times he's running with the ball – completely missing the ball when aiming a shot at a perfect cross played to him in the box.

It's okay Charles. You can get back in the car soon.

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