Leclerc dream and Lauda memories stir Monaco emotions

Reuters - Charles Leclerc will race around his home streets in a Ferrari for the first time in Sunday's (May 26) Monaco Grand Prix, a boyhood dream come true, but dominant Mercedes also have sentiment on their side. The death on Monday (May 20) night of Austrian Formula One great Niki Lauda, a triple world champion and non-executive director of the Mercedes team, has cast the showcase race into a different light. A week ago there were those who feared a sixth successive Mercedes one-two finish, at a tight and twisty track that has seen plenty of processions in the past, would have the fans turning off in droves. Now that looks more like a fitting tribute to a man who won his titles with McLaren and Ferrari but would have been cheering on the Silver Arrows of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas as loudly as anyone. Various tributes are expected for one of the sport's greatest characters, who won for Ferrari in Monaco in 1975 and 1976. In the lead up to the race, current and former drivers took part in the annual charity soccer match along with Prince Albert II of Monaco.