F1 icon hammers Ferrari star for treating F1 like a 'picnic'

Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Italy, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 icon hammers Ferrari star for treating F1 like a 'picnic'

Leclerc has a family entourage at a grand prix

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Monday 21 September 2026 12:28

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David Coulthard has admitted he may be showing older generation tendencies after questioning how a Ferrari star operates during a race weekend.

The 55-year-old former Red Bull, McLaren and Williams ace took exception to the way Charles Leclerc treats grands prix by almost using it as a family outing.

There was much celebration back in February when Leclerc married Alexandra Saint Mleux and since then the couple have announced the happy news that they have a baby on the way back in August. While no due date has been given, it is estimated their child could arrive later in the year.

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Leclerc is often seen with his wife during a race weekend along with their little dog Leo, a miniature long-haired dachshund.

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Coulthard: No picnics in F1 please

But while Leclerc paints a picture of the almost perfect family, Coulthard has questioned whether it is entirely appropriate on a race weekend inside an F1 paddock.

The 13-time grand prix winner said on the Up To Speed podcast: “You’ve got Charles Leclerc, who has been there for several years and is blindingly fast, a 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 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.”

How many F1 drivers have dogs?

Leclerc isn't the first driver to bring his wife or girlfriend to a race, of course there were many before him and there will be many after. Basically, this article would go on another 15 minutes of reading time if I had to name them all.

The 28-year-old isn't the first driver to bring a dog into the paddock either. Lewis Hamilton pioneered that with Roscoe and then Coco from 2013, and the likes of Leclerc and Pierre Gasly of Alpine have followed suit.

But for doing both at the same time consistently? Maybe that is just Leclerc on his own.

Regardless of Coulthard's words, it seems to be working for the Monegasque driver in recent races, having outscored Hamilton by 22 points at the last six grand prix weekends.

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F1 Charles Leclerc David Coulthard Alexandra Saint Mleux