Editor’s Note: Since this story was originally published in the September 2019 issue of SPEED SPORT Magazine, Charles Leclerc has won his first two Grands Prix in Formula One competition. 

Many current and former race car drivers live in Monaco. It is because the weather is nice year-round and the principality is centrally located for traveling in Europe. There is also the small matter of Monaco being a tax haven for the wealthy.

But while many of the current Formula One drivers are Monaco residents — including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas — only one of them is a true Monaco citizen: Charles Leclerc, 21, who has been impressively fast in his second season in F-1 and his first with Ferrari.

There is another reason the drivers like to live in Monaco — when it is not the grand prix week they can pretty much go around without being constantly stopped and asked for autographs and photos.

Leclerc, of course, has become a hometown hero, and there were posters of him all over the place during the Monaco Grand Prix days.

“I think there are drivers more famous than me living in Monaco,” Leclerc said. “For sure, I’m Monegasque, so it’s a little bit different. Also in Monaco they (the people living there) are quite used to it, so all year- round they don’t stop you that much in the city.

“When it comes to grand prix time, it’s a bit harder to go around Monaco because there are a lot of fans coming for the grand prix and, obviously, they want to have pictures, etc. During the year it’s quite OK.

“It’s a city that I’ve been growing up in,” Leclerc added. “It’s a huge honor for me to be racing in these streets. It’s actually pretty weird because these are the same streets (we race on) that I’ve taken on the bus going to school when I was 5 or 6 years old. To take them in a Formula One car feels special.”

What Leclerc has noticed is that many more people recognized him after he finished third in the Bahrain Grand Prix back in March. Until then many fans had only seen him with his helmet on in the car on TV, but now that he had celebrated on the podium after the race they were able to put a face with the name.

The journey to Ferrari for Leclerc, who was born on Oct. 16, 1997, began in 2005 in karting. He won the French PACA Championship in 2005, ’06 and ’08. He moved through the karting ranks and was the French Cadet champion in 2009. Leclerc claimed the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2009 and then in 2011 he added the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters. He continued in karting until 2013 when he finished second to Verstappen in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship.

Like Verstappen, Leclerc moved quickly through the car racing ranks and on up to Formula One. He competed in Formula Renault 2.0 in 2014 and the FIA Formula 3 championship in 2015. Then, in 2016, he won the GP3 championship with three victories and eight podiums. Ferrari and Haas nominated him as a junior F-1 test driver.

Seven wins and 10 podiums earned Leclerc the 2017 FIA Formula 2 championship. And he was a test driver for Ferrari and Sauber.

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CONCORD, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell has been transported to a local hospital after complaining of abdominal pain Friday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

According to a tweet posted on Front Row Motorsports’ official Twitter account, McDowell was complaining of abdominal pain and was taken to the infield medical center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After being examined, the decision was made to transport McDowell, 34, to a local hospital.

.@Mc_Driver visited the infield care center this morning with abdominal pain and is being transported to a hospital. We are currently working on plans for the remainder of the day.

— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) September 27, 2019

Front Row Motorsports has tabbed Austin Cindric to drive McDowell’s No. 34 on Friday while McDowell receives treatment.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will practice from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m., followed by qualifying at 4:40 p.m. EST.

SHANGHAI – Blake Windred's second round was eight strokes worse than his first, but the 21-year-old Australian still held a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Asia-Pacific Amateur.

Windred shot 1-under 71 Friday following his opening 63 for a two-round total of 10-under 134 at Sheshan International Golf Club.

Jun Min Lee, who plays U.S. collegiate golf at Texas A&M, had a bogey-free 67, and was in second place, tied with Ren Yonezawa, who also shot 67, the best rounds of the day.

Liu Kaiwen was in fourth after his second consecutive 69, four strokes behind Windred.

"The wind often meant a half a club difference in your shots, and then it would die and you weren't sure where it was going," Lee said. "I think I coped pretty well."

Leading by two strokes after his first round, Windred, starting on the back nine, had four bogeys on Friday but again finished strongly to birdie his final two holes. On Thursday, he birdied his final four.

"That's the most pleasing thing about today," Windred said, "Hopefully that was my bad round and I ground it out quite well, so it's not really that bad. I'm still moving forward.

"The goal was basically shooting 5-under every round. So, I have a bit of work to do over the weekend, but so far, I'm on track."

Windred had bogeys on 11 and 15 to slip back to 8-under after nine holes. He dropped another shot at the par-4 first hole but had a pair of birdies to get him back level on the day.

"Morning is just a little bit of different with a little bit of that fog or whatever, but there was initially a little bit of a difference," Windred said. "I prefer the afternoon, so the back nine I felt a little more comfortable with my numbers."

He had a three-putt bogey from below the hole on the par-3 fourth and then made a par save from a near-impossible stance next to a bunker on the seventh.

Windred hit a draw off the tee over the trees on the par-5 eighth, his second-last of the day. After laying up, he birdied it from below the hole. On the ninth, his 15-foot putt hung on the edge but fell into the hole.

Imran Ali, the first player from Afghanistan to compete in the tournament, had an opening-round 96 and missed the cut. The tournament website said that Ali practices on the only golf course in his war-affected country - a nine-hole layout - but that he was working with authorities to open the first driving range.

Tonny Ramo had rounds of 99-100 to finish 55 shots over par and in last place of the 120 players.

The winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur receives an invitation to compete in next year's Masters at Augusta and the British Open, while the runner-up or other second-place finishers gets a place in final qualifying for the British Open.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Two years after winning a prestigious amateur title at St. Andrews, Matthew Jordan enjoyed more success on the famous Old Course by shooting 8-under 64 to lead the Dunhill Links Championship on Friday.

The 23-year-old led by one stroke after two rounds, with his bogey-free score at St. Andrews coming a day after shooting 6-under 66 at Kingsbarns.

Every player in the field plays 18 holes at three Scottish courses - St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns - before returning to the Old Course for the fourth and final round of the pro-am on Sunday.

That is where Jordan won the St. Andrews Links Trophy in 2017 during an impressive amateur career that ended when he turned pro in September last year. Ranked No. 292, Jordan now plays on the second-tier Challenge Tour, where he won the Italian Challenge Open in June.

None of his three closest pursuers are ranked in the top 100 in the world, either.

Matthew Southgate, ranked No. 300, shot 66 at Kingsbarns to join No. 126 Calum Hill (65 at St. Andrews) and No. 265 Joakim Lagergren (62 at Kingsbarns) in a tie for second place on 13 under overall.

Justin Rose was 8 under after nine holes at Kingsbarns, and had nine birdies and an eagle in total in his round of 64, leaving the world No. 4 in a six-way share on fifth place on 12 under.

First-round leader Justin Walters shot 1-under 71 at Carnoustie, traditionally the toughest of the three courses, and dropped into a tie for 17th on 10 under.

Rory McIlroy was 5 under after five holes, but only picked up one more birdie in shooting a bogey-free 66 at Kingsbarns. The No. 2-ranked McIlroy was at 8 under, six strokes off the lead.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said winger Christian Pulisic "needs time to adapt" to the Premier League club.

Pulisic signed for Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in January, but was immediately loaned back to the Bundesliga side before joining the Blues this summer.

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Speaking ahead of Chelsea's league clash with Brighton this weekend, Lampard said of the United States international: "Pulisic we forget is 21, because of the price tag.

"It is normal to have an adaptation period. He has shown some good moments this season and in preseason, but he must do it daily."

Pulisic joined Chelsea for a fee of £54 million, and has not yet scored in six appearances for the club in all competitions.

"He needs time to adapt, but we support him on that," Lampard said. "His time will come.

"A huge part of any manager's job is to sit and work with the players -- younger or older, but with younger players you want to pass on more knowledge and help them.

"Sometimes it is being tough. I try to do that as much as possible."

Lampard also provided updates on the fitness of a number of his players, saying that defender Antonio Rudiger will miss the Brighton fixture due to a groin issue, while Emerson's hamstring injury will keep him sidelined until after the international break next month.

Likewise, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is not likely to return in the immediate future.

"We can't give a date," Lampard said, "but he's outside jogging slowly.

"That's a positive move for this week. It's good to see him outside. We will see how that goes over the next weeks."

Lampard added that Andreas Christensen is expected to feature in the Chelsea squad to face Brighton, while Olivier Giroud's involvement is uncertain.

Former Chelsea player Lampard took over as manager this summer and his side have experienced mixed fortunes in the Premier League, winning two, drawing two and losing two.

They have also suffered two defeats in Europe -- one to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup and one at home to Valencia in the Champions League -- but defeated League Two side Grimsby 7-1 in the Carabao Cup this week.

With two weekends remaining in Major League Soccer's regular season, the race for the postseason -- four playoff spots remain up for grabs -- is coming down to the wire.

All 12 games will be played on Sunday, with six Eastern Conference games kicking off at 5 p.m. ET and six from the Western Conference beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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THE WEEKEND'S BIG QUESTIONS

Does San Jose have anything left?

Four losses in a row and just two wins since August have Matias Almeyda's team fighting for their playoff lives (and it doesn't help that the coach's fiery personality got him suspended for Wednesday's 2-1 loss against Philadelphia).

To reach the postseason for just the second time since 2012, San Jose needs victories, starting with Seattle's visit to Avaya Stadium on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). This is about as big as it gets in the league this weekend, with the Sounders fighting for second in the west.

It is a test of Almeyda's managerial talents and the bigger project in San Jose, but at least the Quakes will also get a boost with Chris Wondolowski's return, though they'll miss his support as a fan.

Can Atlanta win without Martinez?

The defending champion suffered a massive and poorly timed setback when Josef Martinez went down with a knee injury in last week's win over San Jose. The Venezuelan striker's 15-game scoring streak set MLS records and lifted the Five Stripes into a challenge for first place in the Eastern Conference.

While his prognosis seems to change for the better by the day, it's unlikely he'll be able to feature before the regular season is out, and the first test for Frank de Boer's squad without him saw Atlanta thrashed 4-1 by New York City FC in a battle for first place in the east on Wednesday. The loss effectively spelled the end of Atlanta's first-place chances and, combined with Philadelphia's win at San Jose, did significant damage to the possibility of securing second.

On Sunday, Atlanta visits Montreal (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET). The Impact is technically still in the playoff hunt, but the expectation will be for United to handle its business. More than that, though, getting a victory without Martinez is important for Atlanta's confidence heading into the final weekend and the looming defence of their title.

Can LAFC make more history at bogey team Minnesota?

LAFC's march to the Supporters' Shield is complete. Bob Bradley's team pulled out of a five-game winless run on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win over Houston, prompting wild celebrations at Banc of California Stadium. LAFC's home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is also ensured.

LAFC needs four points from its final two games to set a single-season points record of 71 and visits Allianz Field to take on Minnesota United on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). Bradley's men might be slight favourites, but don't forget that the Loons beat the Shield winners back on Sept. 1.

ONE THING THAT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will score. It's generally a bad idea to bet against him, but that's especially true when the stakes are high. Ibrahimovic is a good bet to find the net on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET) against a Vancouver side with nothing left play for while the Galaxy strive to lock up a home playoff game.

Ibrahimovic scored one and made another in the Galaxy's win at Vancouver in April and, with 28 goals, sits two goals behind Carlos Vela for the Golden Boot with two games to play. It's on.

THE GAME YOU'RE NOT PLANNING TO WATCH ... BUT SHOULD

Colorado vs. FC Dallas (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET) might not look like the most glamorous matchup, but there is intrigue under the surface for a game between two teams connected by a coach who bolted Colorado for Dallas in 2014.

Oscar Pareja is in Tijuana these days, but this one still figures to have some spice. FC Dallas are squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot with a young, exciting group, while the Rapids are still mathematically in it and could spring a miracle.

PLAYER TO WATCH

We will go with the obvious choice and pick Vela, who is closing out an otherworldly season. His 30 goals puts him one behind Martinez's single-season record of 31 (set just last year), while his 15 assists puts him third in the league. Only one player in history, Sebastian Giovinco, had accomplished at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a season.

Vela blew past those numbers, becoming the first player to hit the 25/15 and 30/15 thresholds. He could break the single-season goal-scoring record on Sunday at Minnesota (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET).

A TEAM THAT NEEDS SOME LUCK

Portland Timbers cannot catch a break. First the scoring dries up, then Brian Fernandez picks up a stomach issue and then, just when the goals do come back thanks to Jeremy Ebobisse, a 2-0 lead is thrown away at home to New England.

Portland will be on the road for the first time since Aug. 4 when they visit Kansas City on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). With the margins fine enough to cut Timber Joey's log, Giovanni Savarese and his team are hoping for some better fortune as they look to secure postseason soccer.

Karachi's first ODI in over 10 years didn't even get as far as the toss. Heavy rain in the days leading up to this match was already proving a challenge, with doubts arising over whether the outfield would dry in time. Then, on Friday, more rain was delivered by towering dark clouds, forming large puddles on the outfield, and making even umpire inspections a challenge, once the rain did eventually relent. The severity of the downpour has prompted changes in the tour as well with the second game being postponed by a day to September 30. The final ODI will take place as originally scheduled on October 2.

The National Stadium was heavily waterlogged with the covers never moving through the course of a gloomy Friday afternoon, and just before 4:30 pm local time the officials had little choice but to abandon this game. Karachi will need bright sunshine over the weekend in order to assist the drying of the outfield, but unfortunately, more rain is forecast for Sunday.

Sri Lanka's tour to Pakistan consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.

Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was the only new entrant into the India women's squad for their upcoming tour of the West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is.

The BCCI announced a 16-member ODI squad for the tour that kicks off in November, with Sushma the only addition to the squad of 15 that is set to play South Africa in Vadodara in three ODIs next week. The T20I squad was the same as the 15 that were chosen for the first three games of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, where the hosts lead 1-0 with the second game washed out.

That means 15-year-old Shafali Verma, the hard-hitting top-order batsman, retains her place in the T20I squad. She was out for ducks in the warm-up game against South Africa and on T20I debut. Harleen Deol, who impressed in the T20 Challenger earlier this year, keeps her place as does 19-year-old allrounder Pooja Vastrakar.

Led by Harmanpreet Kaur and with Smriti Mandhana as the vice-captain, this tour is a further opportunity for India to tune their preparations ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2019.

The first two T20Is will be played in St Lucia, before the teams move to Guyana for the next three matches.

For Sushma, who last represented India in April 2018, it is a return to the side having missed a spot for the home series against England and South Africa this year. She offers a second wicketkeeping option to the ODI captain Mithali Raj, behind the incumbent wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia. The ODIs will be played in Antigua from November 1.

India women's ODI squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Punam Raut, D Hemalatha, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Priya Punia, Sushma Verma

India women's T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Anuja Patil, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy

The second ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been postponed by a day owing to unseasonal rains that left Karachi's National Stadium waterlogged, washing out the first game of the series in the process. With more rain expected on the day of the second game - Sunday, September 29 - the Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, has rescheduled the game to Monday, September 30.

"This week's heavy rains, including on Friday afternoon, has left the outfield soggy, with the groundstaff requiring at least two complete days to make the ground fit for cricket," a PCB media statement said. "The PCB has also announced tickets sold for Friday, 27 September, will be valid for either 30 September or 2 October ODI, while tickets sold for Sunday, 29 September, match may also be used for either 30 September or 2 October ODI. As per the PCB ticketing policy for the series, the PCB will also allow refund of all tickets for Friday's match."

PCB director of international cricket Zakir Khan said, "This week's unseasonal heavy rains have forced us to review the series schedule. I am thankful to Sri Lanka Cricket as well as our host broadcasters for agreeing to amend the match schedule to ensure there are no further abandonments due to rain in what is an important bilateral FTP series for Pakistan."

Unexpected rain in Karachi had put this game in doubt as early as 48 hours before the scheduled start, with the city lashed by heavy afternoon rains each of the past three days. With a training session cancelled on Wednesday and only a short one possible on Thursday, the square had been under covers all this while. This afternoon, when perhaps the heaviest spell of rain all week descended upon the National Stadium, cancellation was inevitable.

It is by no means a familiar phenomenon for the city, this match being the first ODI ever to be abandoned because of the weather in Karachi.

Mohammad Azharuddin has been elected president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. The former India captain took 147 of the 223 votes cast, with his nearest opponent Prakash Jain polling 73 votes and a third contestant, Dilip Kumar, just three.

The development adds another chapter to the life of Azharuddin, who has never been far from the news since scoring hundreds in his first three Test matches back in 1984-85. Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs before his career was brought to an abrupt end in 2000 with the BCCI banning him for life after the Central Bureau of Investigation found him guilty of match-fixing.

In its report, the CBI said: "The evidence against Azharuddin … clearly establishes the fact that he took money from bookies/punters to fix cricket matches and also the fact that the 'underworld' had approached him to fix matches for them."

Azharuddin, in his statement to the CBI, had admitted to receiving money from the bookie Mukesh Gupta to fix some matches, but has stated that he "did" only two matches for him - an admission the CBI called "a dilution of the actual facts".

Yet Azharuddin, who led India in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs, never stopped pleading his innocence until the Andhra Pradesh High Court finally struck down the life ban in 2012, declaring it illegal.

Along the way, Azharuddin has enjoyed a gradual reintegration with Indian cricket and public life, but the ride hasn't always been smooth.

In 2009, he joined the Congress party, and served as a Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2014. In 2011, he had to endure the untimely death of one of his two sons, Ayazuddin, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in his hometown Hyderabad.

This is the second time Azharuddin has put his hat in the HCA ring. In January 2017, Azharuddin made his first bid to contest the elections, but his nomination for the president's post was rejected due to uncertainty over whether or not the BCCI had lifted his life ban.

Last year, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), helmed by Sourav Ganguly - who took over India's captaincy soon after the 2000 fixing scandal - invited Azharuddin to ring the ceremonial bell at Eden Gardens at the start of a T20I between India and West Indies. The CAB's decision drew flak from numerous voices including former India batsmen Gautam Gambhir - who called it "shocking" - and Sanjay Manjrekar - who responded by tweeting a link to the CBI report from its match-fixing investigation.

Azharuddin didn't give up his desire to enter cricket administration, however, and re-entered the fray for the top post at the HCA. The elections took place at the HCA headquarters in Hyderabad on Friday, supervised by electoral officer VS Sampath, a former election commissioner of India.

The elections marked the first time that former international cricketers participated in the voting process. This was one of the key recommendations of the RM Lodha Committee that led to the structural overhaul of cricket administration at the BCCI and its state associations. Eleven international players from Hyderabad cast their votes, including Azharuddin, VVS Laxman and Venkatapathy Raju.

R Vijayanand will be the new HCA secretary. He won 137 votes, more than twice as many as the favourite S Venkateshwaran, who polled 62 votes.