--- title: "Leclerc Crashes Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T at Monaco Historic" date: "2022-05-15" modified: "2022-05-15" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/leclerc-crashes-niki-laudas-ferrari-312t-at-monaco-historic" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" - "Watch This" tags: - "Ferrari" --- # Leclerc Crashes Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T at Monaco Historic ![]() In between this season's F1 races, Ferrari driver--and current leader in the driver's standings--Charles Leclerc participated in the iconic Monaco Historic Grand Prix earlier today, driving [Niki Lauda's]() former championship-winning 1974 Ferrari 312T. Unfortunately, what must have been an incredibly special moment for Leclerc ended in embarrassment, as he spun the legendary Ferrari into the wall at rascasse. In Leclerc's defense, the famous rascasse corner was pretty slippery, due to oil and small bits of debris which covered the road from previous crashes. You can see, as soon as he began braking into the corner, the back end just stepped out and swung around him into the wall. It didn't seem like there was any major structural damage done to the car, with only the rear wing being crumpled, but that was enough to end Leclerc's day in Monaco. ![]() Adding insult to injury, the commentators made a cheeky joke about, instead of dismantling the notion that young drivers can't handle classic F1 cars, Leclerc dismantled a classic F1 car. It's hard to not feel bad for Leclerc. What must have been an absolute childhood dream, especially since Leclerc was born and raised in Monaco, ended in embarrassing fashion. It's also unfortunate because Leclerc wasn't entirely at fault, considering how slippery that section of track was. Leclerc was naturally embarrassed about the crash and took to Twitter to voice it. https://twitter.com/charles_leclerc/status/1525809317961662464?s=21&t=8gia68y8CplPjh04xmkZhw Ironically, Leclerc was racing around Monaco with former Ferrari driver Jackie Ickx, who was driving his old 1972 Ferrari 312B2. After Leclerc drove his crashed Ferrari back to the starting grid, Ickx made his way there, too. Ickx walked over to Leclerc, put his arm around him, and the two exchanged some seemingly kind words with one another, as they posed for a photo in front of Ickx's 312B2. All will be forgiven if Leclerc and Ferrari can hold onto their driver's and manufacturer's championship leads this season. There's still a long season ahead of them, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen [just beat Leclerc out ]()for the win in Miami last week, but he'll be able to get back in the driver's seat May 22, for the Spanish Grand Prix. https://youtu.be/X0xKh6L5RMU?t=5h39m38s ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()