This is 2020, so we are talking via video link. Like that, or in person, Leclerc is an open, friendly presence, with a smile never very far away. He has a hint of diffidence about him, but there is no mistaking the steel beneath the surface.
The same contradiction is apparent in Leclerc the racing driver. He’s not boastful, but knows how good he is, and has exceedingly high expectations of himself. This explains the occasional angry outbursts when he feels he has let himself down.
One such happened last month at the end of the Turkish Grand Prix.
On the afternoon Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh world title with one of his greatest drives on a treacherously slippery track, Leclerc, too, had excelled.
After a difficult start, Leclerc was 14th on lap 15, 35 seconds behind Vettel, who was fourth. Twenty-five laps later, Leclerc overtook his team-mate and pulled out a five-second lead over the next seven laps.
On the final lap, Leclerc briefly passed Perez for second place, only to brake slightly late at the final chicane and slide wide, allowing Perez and Vettel to slip through for the final two podium places.
Leclerc was furious with himself, telling his team over the radio he had done a bad job – except the word he used was not “bad”.
Looking back, he says: “That’s probably one of my best performances this year in a race and I’m aware of it and I was aware of it after the race when I calmed down. But on the other hand, I was so disappointed.
“After the first few laps, I thought my race was more or less over, but I kept my head down, trying to do the best job possible lap after lap and it seemed to work.
“I was aware I was one of the fastest guys on track and that gave me a lot of confidence, and then I arrived in the last lap where I knew a podium would be possible after being second to last at the first corner.
“And then to do such a small mistake that cost so much at a very important time in the race – aah, I was so frustrated. So I was extremely unhappy with myself at the end of the race, which you could probably hear from the radio.
“But on the other hand, as soon as I got out of the car I was aware of what I’d done and it’s not like I put myself completely down.
“On the radio it sounds that way, but when I get out of the car I am very honest with myself. Whenever I have done a good job, I know I have done it, and I tell to myself, but whenever I do a bad job, I am frustrated.
“On this day, even though I had done a very, very good job before that, the mistake at the wrong time cost us the final result, which is the most important.”
