"It's hard to enjoy a weekend like this," Leclerc said after crossing the finish line as the winner of Belgium's grand prix ahead of overall leader Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, both Mercedes.

The Monegasque was referring to the horrific crash that occurred in a Formula 2 race on the same course last Saturday and that cost Anthoine Hubert his life. They both competed against each other during their careers and were friends.

"On the one hand, it's a childhood dream come true, on the other it's been a very tough weekend," says Charles Leclerc.

- I grew up with Anthoine and want to win him the victory.

Leclerc was one of everyone who honored Anthoine Hubert with a silent minute held before the F1 race, and on the spot were also Huberts brother and mother holding his helmet and burst into tears during the ceremony.

First monegasque to win

However, a moved Leclerc managed to refocus and a few hours later became the first monegasque ever to win a race in the world's premier racing series. He started in pole position, ahead of stable mate Sebastian Vettel, and managed to keep the lead from start to finish despite the safety car coming out already on the first lap following an incident between Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen.

The overall team Verstappen was then forced to break the race for the first time this season, while the fourth Vettel had to settle for a fourth place.

The next race will be run in Italian Monza in a week.