How did your relationship with Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% begin?
I’m someone who genuinely likes to have good moments, and I also share some of this on social media. I think we saw a fit between the two brands and decided to start a partnership together in which we are really really happy. I think the campaign has been super successful with showing a bit more the Italian way of living. It fits me because it's naturally me and my lifestyle aligns well with Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%’s brand values of enjoying life without compromise.

The Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% ethos is Live Every Moment. How do you enjoy life to the fullest, both on and off the track?
I believe it’s important to live every moment. The simplest times spent with family and friends are often the most memorable. As a Ferrari driver, I know my time in this position is limited, so I focus on the present and enjoying every special moment that I’m very lucky to have.

What are your favourite ways to unwind when you're not racing?
I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, my girlfriend, and my dog. These are the things that I enjoy most because Formula 1 takes a lot of our lives. There’s obviously the simulator, there’s the preparation, there’s the work at the factory, there are events, media and all of these things that add to just the racing and that makes it that we are travelling most of the time we have little time for ourselves. So, when I have free time, I cherish those moments of privacy and relaxation—often on my boat. It’s the perfect place because that's where I’m most alone so I'm not disturbed and I can have full privacy there.

Tell me about your interest in music and what it means to you.
Music allows me to escape from racing thoughts. I often create music when I'm at home or feeling inspired. Music helps me to relax and to just think about other things and this is the way I started; I posted some videos of my music on Instagram and people seemed to like it and to replay the Instagram story many times, so I thought, ‘why not just release the music?’, as it would be easier for everybody to listen to since people really enjoyed it.

It’s purely a passion for me; if it works out I'm happy and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t change my life. If people enjoy it too, that’s a bonus but I do it for myself. Actually yesterday I had a song in my head so I started to work on it. I'm lucky that my hotel has been super nice to put a piano inside my room so I could play. It’s been quite a long time since I played, probably two or three months. So, I just sat there, had an inspiration, I sound registered it in order to remember it once I get back to Monaco, and once I’m back I’ll try and register the full song.

Do you typically listen to music before a race? What do you listen to?
Yes, I do. If I’m feeling tense, I’ll listen to something calm—sometimes even my own music. If I’m too calm, I’ll choose something more energising and then it’s definitely not my music. It really depends on how I’m feeling leading up to the race.

So how are you feeling this weekend and what are you going to listen to?
I’m feeling really good. I will see because it depends also on how FP1, FP2, FP3 (free practice) goes. If it goes really bad then I’ll need music that calms me a little bit more.

What are your thoughts on the Singapore Grand Prix?
The Singapore Grand Prix is very special and challenging due to its humid conditions and city track layout. It requires intense focus, especially in the final laps when fatigue sets in. It is also one of the longest races, it can go up to two hours here so that makes it even more difficult, and then there’s also the challenging characteristics of this track. 

It’s a city track and it’s at night so you have no room for mistakes. That makes it a very interesting weekend in general and one of my favourite tracks because I love city tracks and a city track by night makes it extra special.

You had emotional wins at Monza and Monaco this season. What did those victories mean to you?
These two wins were very special, I never would have imagined that one day I would win those two races in the same year because they are two very special races for two different reasons. Obviously Monaco being my home race is special and we’ve had so many years where we got close to winning it but then for one reason or another it didn't work out. That adds a lot to the emotion of finally winning it this year.

Monza is always emotional because you get there on Tuesday in Milan and there are so many fans and you can really feel that the whole of Italy is behind the team. All the grandstands are red, all the mechanics and engineers have family or friends in the grandstand and that adds pressure, but is also very special.

What are your goals moving forward?
I just want to win the world championship that's my only target and goal, winning as many races as possible along the way, starting from this weekend here in Singapore.

What do you think are the qualities of a world champion?
Resilience and hard work are the most important for a driver. In today’s world with social media and everything that is around Formula One, you can be hyped up very very quickly and you can be put down very very quickly. And all this can be exaggerated a lot more than the actual situation. If I have a bad race one weekend, everybody will say, ‘oh my god, it's the most difficult time of Charles’ career’ and then if I have a great race, they will say, ‘oh my god, Charles is having an incredible time, probably the best time of his career’. So as a driver and as an athlete, the most important thing is to be as emotionally flat as possible and to step back from what the perception can be and really analyse our own situation in the most objective way without getting influenced by emotions or what people around you say.

What do you think is necessary for Ferrari to compete for championships again?
We need a car that is good enough to win the championship consistently. While we are improving, we still have work to do compared to McLaren and Red Bull.

With only 19 points separating you from second place in the standings, what are your thoughts on the championship race?
My focus is on winning races rather than securing second place; second place is not really what excites me. It’s the win or nothing. But we’ll take it race by race and aim for the best results possible this weekend.

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