we keep joking about max and charles having separation anxiety but charles just literally walked into a photographer because he refused to move away from max-
the mischaracterization of charles isn't bc one of the two main fandom interpretations of his personality (baby girl vs femme fatale) is wrong, but because people ignore that both simultaneously exist within him: this juxtaposition is what makes him so compelling... just about everyone who meets charles describes him as sweet, shy and a little nervous-- he anxiously gnaws on his fingers during briefings!-- but when he puts the helmet on & everyone comes out of the pit lane (which he identifies as his favorite part), he says: "at that point I'm alone with my car and I feel good. It's like a nest, I don't feel anything, zero tension, I'm completely relaxed waiting for the race" [x].
anyway here are too many words on my view of charles' personality
i think people often mistake the type of competitiveness you need to be successful at the highest level of a sport as ruthlessness! but... the "criminal on track" reputation that some fans push is severely overblown: only zhou has less career penalty points than him out of all the drivers who have had a f1 seat in the last five years. charles is quick to take the blame for any performance that is less than perfect; the upset audios after his DNFs establish that even in the anger of the moment, his emotions are directed at himself.
i think this is further demonstrated by the fact that his rivals growing up all seem to divide him into two as well: a pest on the track, but a good friend:
What is your relationship with Charles?
Paolo de Conto: We respect each other, we say "hello" to each other but off the track, we don't see each other often.
Dorian Boccolacci: We've known each other for a very long time, since 2006, so it's been seven years. We're buddies, but we don't see each other on race weekends, because we're often in our structure to concentrate for the race. But we have good relations.
Jérémy Iglésias: I knew him when he was little, since he drove a mini kart with my brother's team. When he was little I had to teach him things, but now he's a driver I respect, who rides against me, but above all he's a friend.
Valentin Moineault: We saw each other a lot this year since we were at ART GP and we get on really well.
Ben Barnicoat: I think Charles and I are very good friends. For two years now. I even went to his house, we can talk about anything and everything.
What is his attitude on the track and in the paddock?
Paolo de Conto: He's a quiet, correct boy, he doesn't make big mistakes and he's nice. In the paddock I don't know since we are under two different structures and it's hard to get an idea.
Dorian Boccolacci: In the paddock, he doesn't go out a lot, he often stays within his structure. He must surely want to be calm to concentrate on his race. On the track, he is very fast and very fair play. This is a good thing.
Jérémy Iglésias: In the paddock he's a little boy of 15-16, very nice, but on the track he's an aggressive driver who knows how to defend himself and command respect.
Anthoine Hubert: On the track, he's pretty legit. I never had too much trouble with him, to say the least, even though we often fought for championships. But it always went well.
Valentin Moineault: I think he's a driver who doesn't have a lot of problems with others. As Antoine said, he was always legit.
Ben Barnicoat: In the race, I think he is very aggressive, especially at the start. He is really very good at this exercise. He is very aggressive during the first laps. I think in the paddock, Charles is a really fun guy. He is sometimes very angry when things don't go well on the track, but he is still a very good friend.
How would you define his driving style?
Paolo de Conto: I would say he is aggressive.
Dorian Boccolacci: I think his driving changed when he went from KF to KZ since you have to be a little more aggressive in KZ. But he is still a clean rider, and very fast in the rain.
Jérémy Iglésias: Aggressive.
Antoine Hubert: It's clean, it's really clean.
Valentin Moineault: Regular and clean.
Ben Barnicoat: Like I said, I think he's a really aggressive guy.
A word characterizing Charles?
Paolo de Conto: Boy! (Laughs)
Dorian Boccolacci: It's difficult! (After thinking for a good minute) Monegasque!
Jérémy Iglesias: Kid! (Laughs)
Anthoine Hubert: Determined... Because “annoying” is in two words! (Laughs)
Valentin Moineault: A word is complicated, but "determined", as Anthoine said, I think it suits him well. I hesitated to say "pest" too! (Laughs)
Ben Barnicoat: Crazy! (Laughs)
These quotes from former Team Principals on his promotion to Ferrari also establish this duality:
Gildas Merian (Sodikart): "I am very happy for him because he has always been a great driver, very rigorous and very conscientious. To see him arrive in Formula 1 and now at Ferrari, is a great source of pride for us What immediately comes to mind is that he was very hardworking, very determined and he knew how to thank his mechanics when he won a race. something that was natural to him. A very great driver with great generosity."
Mirko Sguerzoni (Intrepid): When people talk to me about him, I always remember the KF3 world championship at Sarno. He had such a determination to take pole, to build his race and to win it, I had never seen that. He wanted to achieve the goal he had set for himself and nothing could stop him. On the other hand, Charles is very intelligent, very well educated, he talks with everyone. Whether at work or in everyday life. He was always very nice to everyone. After him, I had Verstappen and if we have to compare them, it's a bit like Charles being a Prost and Verstappen a Senna. At the time, as today, Charles was very calculating, he took absolutely everything into account, he built his race very well. Verstappen is not mean but he is much more aggressive on the track. He thinks less and drives more by instinct. He could be faster, but in the approach to the race Charles was much stronger.
Armando Filini (ART GP): When people talk to me about him, I think of the boy who thought the engine was never right, the chassis was never right, the mechanics weren't good and the only thing he cared about was to put at least one second to his teammate. If there wasn't that second, he wasn't happy! (laughs). He always wanted to go faster. Otherwise, he is a very nice person. He always stays with his mechanics to talk after the races and even today he sends messages to his mechanics at the time. Even though he is in Formula 1, he has never forgotten them. For him, they are part of his family. Moreover, if I must be really sincere, whether on a human or sporting level, I have not found a driver like him anymore. I have a really hard time finding real riders who really want to work to the maximum.
Sébastien Philippe (ART GP): What always surprises me about him is the humility he really kept when he arrived in Formula 1. He is someone who is very attentive, very humble in relation to his talent. I only have good memories of it. We all know he's fast but I think we'll see him even more next year.
René Rosin (Prema Racing): What comes to me first when we talk about him is once again his determination, and his almost morbid desire to improve. Whether after the first test with us or after the end of the season, he always asked us where he could improve and how he should do to achieve it. It is at the extreme of perfection. His weekend in Baku was also incredible as he lost his father three days earlier. In my opinion, no other driver would have been able to do what he did that weekend. Some would have cried, others would not have had any results. He found the strength to continue. In free practice, he only did 5 laps between red flags, traffic and yellow flags. He arrived in qualifying with only three quick laps in his legs and took pole position almost six tenths ahead of second. He could even have won both races without his Race 2 penalty."
I think that quote from his Team Principal at Prema really puts it succinctly: What comes to me first when we talk about him is once again his determination, and his almost morbid desire to improve. Whether after the first test with us or after the end of the season, he always asked us where he could improve and how he should do to achieve it. It is at the extreme of perfection.
I think my prime issue with the "feral" Charles characterization that was so big in 2019 & is making a comeback is that it misplaces why he's so driven. I don't think he's like Max, who wants to be WDC because he wants to be the Best; I think Charles is striving for perfection, and he believes that's how he's going to get WDC. Charles might clip Pierre as he's racing towards number one, but not because he's willing to sacrifice his friendship with Pierre to win the race; its because he puts on blinders to anything outside of the car in front of him. I think getting into the car must be a transformative experience for him... he says he's not sentimental-- that quote about his grandmother sewing crosses under his patches and the ritual now being dead!-- but he wears the bracelets his mechanics have given him! He uses any opportunity to add aspects of what he loves into his life as a memento, whether that is a helmet design that subtly looks like Jules' or making a sweatshirt for his clothing line that looks like one of his dad's old race suits. I think the key difference is that he doesn't view driving as a spiritual experience: luck or faith aren't factors on the track... its just him, acting as an extension of the car.
i think to be the best in the world at something you need to be passionate about it in a way that is incomprehensible to everyday, regular people. see: charles winning after his father passed away. & driving, on top of it, seems to be a central factor in most of his close relationships-- he's very family focused, and it seems like a lot of those bonds were strengthened on track weekends working on a shared love.
idk. i cant put any more time in this. im sure ill have another thought on this in a few hours that actually makes sense and i'll try to do a TL;DR 😭
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