Lestappen, a destiny that never disappoints us - part one The rainbow hero: Mr. Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc
Topics: the save, Ferrari brand, engagement strategy, brand coherence, Charles & Alex announcement, MG memes .
And here we are. Timing has never been better. Last night I posted a little manifesting note — because looking back at the old Saturday night posts, we had this hope and we manifested for something was going to happen to fix that infamous “Rainbow incident” Something like those perfect Toto photos that conveniently covered the great “MiniBlondie face reveal.”
And fate delivered. It listened. And what else could this generous twist of fate be, if not the Lestappen moment itself?
So our dear Perceval rode in on a white horse and saved us all in the middle of the storm.
And I’ll be honest — I got emotional. But I don’t think I was the only one. I got emotional mostly for him, because for Ferrari fans he’s like a friend you know for ages — a small piece of us all. It hits different, emotionally, it has being like grewing up alongside him.
As for the announcement, some of you loved it, others found it a bit too polished. But first, some context. Ferrari isn’t a brand you mess around with — and our Perceval is one of its main assets. We’re talking about one of the most powerful, prestigious luxury brands in the world. A brand that represents an entire country, gets invited to the Vatican, and carries a near-sacred legacy — Enzo Ferrari, the drivers, the myth, the legend.
And when you move within that orbit, things are done by the book. Ferrari is old school. It doesn’t force anyone, but if you drink from its fountain, you play by its rules. That’s exactly what Alex did — and she did it right and that’s need to be said.
The announcement was flawless: Sunday evening, 7 p.m. CET, markets closed, everything perfectly staged. That’s not fiction — that’s professionalism. Because in a world like that, a single misstep moves millions, jobs, and reputations.
This isn’t just about wealth or Piero Ferrari’s shareholders — it’s about respect for the people who work there, who build the legacy every day. If you want to play in that league, these are the rules. No one forces you. We’ve seen partners who chose the private route — like Seb’s wife — ultra loved driver that were oceans away from PR - hi dear Kimi - and no one ever asked for anything public, if not the minimum. But if your relationship is public, and directly tied to the Ferrari image, then you owe the brand, the fans, and the country a certain respect.
Just think about Italy. Two months ago, Charles and Lewis stepped out on that Milan balcony, and the crowd below went wild as if they were two popes. Even Lewis, who’s seen everything, was visibly impressed. That’s Ferrari. And if you want to be Ferrari, you have to embody Ferrari.
Ferrari asks for only one thing: coherence.
If you’re a public couple and you drink from that spotlight, you respect the rhythm of public communication. If you’re private, that’s fine too. But once you step into the public side — coherence and professionalism is the due.
And now — let’s get to the verdicts.
So — here’s my take, straight and simple.
I’m not dwelling on it too much, but honestly, it wasn’t my favorite. A bit too childish for my taste — the homey setup clashed with the level of formality. Her dress felt too elevated for that cozy background, while he looked almost underdressed. The scene gave me “cashmere sweater chic” when she was trying to say “silk and champagne.” Still, I get what they wanted — warmth, intimacy, a domestic glow. Ok, but off-balance. Timing 🥰 and symbolic location 🫠 are two super plus.
A full 10/10. Everything was handled exactly as it should be — prepared, timed, respectful. Yes, there were leaks, but those are normal and sometimes even intentional — a way to test reactions, a thermometer for public sentiment. Every step — from her parents arriving in Hungary, to the interviews, the covers, her consistent presence, the blessing moment at the factory — all of it was textbook Ferrari. Coherence, and total awareness of the brand you’re part of.
I’ll stay neutral here. I’ve only started observing them recently — mostly after some of your asks about their communication patterns. So, no hard opinions. But what I can say is: Charles Leclerc should probably be listed among UNESCO’s world heritage sites. If divine justice existed, he’d be single forever.
“Charles stole the show with the proposal. But I wonder how MG will behave during GP. If I’m not mistaken there was an old video of her not catching a wedding bouquet and MV celebrating (can’t find the link). Also she’s been posting a lot of wedding related stuff for years, even her family lately. I wonder what happens next. Also best of wishes to all unmarried drivers who have longtime girlfriends. They’ll need those in the coming days.”
ANSWER: Nothing could be truer, dear Anon. You win the wisdom award.
“I’m really happy for Charles and Alex, but I can’t help thinking that MG is going to push hard for her ring. I just hope Max doesn’t end up giving in to that.”
ANSWER: At this stage, I honestly don’t see many chances left for our heroine.
“my mum called me about the engagement and said well… kelly… with her you have reasons to hate her but alex… she’s so bland you sometimes forget she even exists… lol ngl i couldn’t agree more”
ANSWER: Anon, I partly agree with your mum ( say hi from me 🥰) and your ask made me think of something my grandmother once told me. She use to say that, early twenties, people look for excitement in love — but a few years later, as the 30’s start to be seen, once work and responsibility kick in, an unstoppable human need appears: to find a restful partner. She always says: “the key to a happy relationship is finding someone who’s restful for you — and being restful for them.” If we add your mum “without getting bored” we have perfection.
“Just for fun, though: MG is probably furious. Not only has her sympathy-seeking scheme been foiled, but she’s also being thrown in the face again for having a child without a ring. Now she has to convince Max to marry her, and she has to involve his pets in the process. I can imagine her forcing Nino to wear a ‘dad wants to marry you’ bow tie, just like Leo’s. Someone save that poor animal.”
ANSWER: Anon, you cracked me up — honestly, in these creepy days, this image of her forcing poor Nino into a proposal bow tie killed me. We’re one step away from calling WWF at this point. Thank you for the laugh, you’re officially part of the gem’s archive.🫶🏻
“Lord I am just catching up this whole weekend… what a couple of days LMAOOOO. I may be in the minority but I actually think Charles and Alex’s relationship makes sense for both of them and what they want - she wants to be taken care of and he enjoys having someone around for him. I believe they care for each other. While I didn’t think it would be this soon, I’m not surprised by an engagement. Anyway, back to the mess that is Kelly and max. I truly can’t believe she’d air that out. I sort of knew she had something planned for Brazil and week leading up. Ngl I’m still not convinced she won’t be hoping back on a flight to be at the race. She likely just needs to drop the kids (or maybe just mini) back off in Monaco. But I wasn’t expecting that was a revelation. I’m sure max will be asked about it at the race too. I was thinking about this anon because I lowkey feel like post dilara breakup (I still think she broke up with him btw), he went the opposite direction as a coping mechanism. Slept around a bit with women he maybe didn’t see as serious partners then circled back to Kelly - not realizing she’d lock it down if she got the chance. While I do think he’s going to have to work on himself first, I do think choosing someone who’s willing to see beyond themselves will be key. It’s not a woman’s job to fix a man but I can’t imagine dating someone so self absorbed helps him grow as a person. Sorry if this ask is all over the place lol Also I think anon meant Austin?? And this photo”
ANSWER: Anon, I can only imagine your landing back on the blog after this weekend — pure folklore. And you’re absolutely not all over the place; you actually touched on several points that will come up again in the next blocks. Thank you also for the pic — I’m posting it here now.
“I’ve been unable to use my cellphone all day. The first thing I see when I open IG? Charles is engaged. The only thing I was able to think after I had processed the information is how MG must be fuming, because Alex — a girl that’s more than 10 years younger and has been in the show for what, 3 years? — is getting the ring before her (if M helps us, she’ll never get it). P.S. I think the scream I heard today was MG’s anger scream.”
ANSWER: Samba, my dear — after a full day offline you landed right in the middle of the chaos. And yes, I think we all heard that scream echoing through the paddock. 😭😵💫 Probably the first ones to hear it were Perceval and Lady. What a weekend.
“The wedding announcement I wanted”
ANSWER: Cherry, darling — our hope will never die 😭. Our LestappenStrategies & Plans still stand. In any case we had our Lestappen romantic moment, and what a moment. Literally a Save.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more fake and contrived engagement announcement than the one between Charles and Alex. Their dog is one of the few things that brings them together. It’s sad to see how far people will go for fame and money. Don’t tell me he’s in love, because people in love don’t cheat regularly. I love Charles’s passion for Ferrari and F1, but this move is more fake than Temu’s Balenciaga.”
ANSWER: Anon, everyone’s got their own perception — and that’s fair. Personally, I’ve seen so little of them together that I can’t form a strong opinion either way. But let’s just say that your “Temu” line might have officially become this blog’s new trademark quote.
“Kind of funny how there was major upheaval when MG announced the baby and the fandom wasn’t exactly thrilled but (from what l’ve seen) everyone is pretty happy about the Charles and ASM engagement. What does this tell me? Even subconsciously people felt the bad energy radiating off of MG and did not like her. (I do not even want to think about what MG is going to do after this. Stalk Alex? Break dishes? Kidnap Leo Leclerc? Tbh nothing she does now can top the Charles and ASM engagement. She played her trump card and Charles disintegrated it 1 day later.) (And if MG tries to attack Alex she’ll get cooked. ASM fangirls are legitimately frightening and could curb stomp the 5 MG minions that exist.)”
ANSWER: Yeah, exactly, dear — and even if you just look at the numbers, compared to both for the announcement and the birth, here we’re talking about a multiplier. MG must be fuming, because the engagement’s reaction and interaction stats are on a completely different scale. And as you rightly said, there was almost a sense of shock back then — I wasn’t following the story yet, but I remember feeling like Avocado Anon’s friends: totally stunned, like “wow, this came out of nowhere.” Still, I’ll admit, your line about poor little Leo Leclerc gave me chills — no one’s really safe with MG around. I’d give him a bodyguard.
“Just want to share this cuz the quoted tweets have me laughing so hard for the last 10 min:
ANSWER: Thank you for these gems, dear Anon. Unfortunately we can’t see the first one because it’s limited, but the second comoensate well 🤭
This is our favourite saga, the Lestappen one, and that’s always like a statement.
