"Without them, I wouldn't be able to live my passion to the fullest": Charles Leclerc tells the Monaco Grand Prix stewards in a documentary broadcast on C+ this Saturday evening

Words & music, from the first seconds of the film, Charles Leclerc's voice rests on the notes of AUS23 , the melody he composed on the piano. Who else but him, winner on "his" circuit in 2024, could have told the story of the track marshals of the Monaco Grand Prix? "During my last lap, I felt the energy of these 700 guardian angels of the circuit. Without them, I would not be able to live my passion to the fullest. I wanted to tell their story," assures Charles Leclerc, in voiceover over the images of his triumph last year.

This is the starting point of the documentary written by Yann-Antony Noghès and directed by Franck Florino, Les Anges Gardiens de Monaco, which will be shown this Saturday, May 24, at 7:45 p.m., on Canal + .

A motivation that impresses

The documentary traces the importance of these track men and women, posted throughout the circuit and clearly visible since 1975 in their orange uniforms to ensure safety during the race. A body formed after a founding act: the death in 1967 of Lorenzo Bandini after an accident in the middle of a Grand Prix, at the exit of the tunnel. A time when cars accelerated between bales of straw, without metal barriers or much protection. A relative recklessness that is evident in the sepia-toned images. "I was nine years old, I remember the flames very well, the smoke, it was very impressive. It was a rather traumatic event," says Prince Albert II in the documentary, witnessing the spectacular accident of the Italian driver, filmed live, who died a few hours later at CHPG.

The episode also had a significant impact on the president of the Automobile Club, Michel Boeri, who from that day on developed his constant concern to professionalize security.

"These commissaires are all volunteers, impressive in their motivation, their determination, their passion. Passionate people who get up early, who give of their time," emphasizes Yann-Antony Noghès, who created this documentary. "What we had in mind with Michel Boeri was to pay tribute to the corps of commissaires, for the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of their uniform . Especially since there has never been a book or film made about them. It also allows us to show the Grand Prix from the inside, as we have never seen it, behind the scenes of the corps with these 700 guardian angels."

A picture is sometimes worth a thousand words. The ones in the documentary, which may make you jump, demonstrate the importance of these track soldiers. Sometimes confronted with the most perilous dangers. "They have cars passing at 300 km/h right next to them. If they have to intervene, there's no room for error. We have emotion, action, and scares. And above all, the first viewers told me that after watching this documentary, their view of the marshals has changed."

The resources were deployed for this project: 25 days of filming alongside the three Grand Prix in 2024 and the stewards' training course, 45 days of editing. A long time, rare for this exercise. The idea was also to give a human angle to the narrative with two common threads: Laura and Hugo, aspiring stewards whose journey from training to action we follow . "The selection process was competitive as every year, with 487 candidates for 40 places. We follow these two characters during the training course, which is unique in the world. Then there is a progression in the story with the E-Prix, which is their baptism of fire, the Historic, where they discover behind the rails the power of the engines, the smells, the noise. And the Grand Prix, the race of the greats, where they go from observer to actor," continues Yann-Antony Noghès.

On April 30, the film enjoyed a grand premiere at the Grimaldi Forum, featuring Prince Albert II and the curators' families, the first viewers of the film that tells their story. A moment of "great emotion," recalls Jean-Michel Matas, Deputy Commissioner General of the ACM, in charge of curators.

"This documentary brings back memories, we thought of the elders who have left us. But it was also a moment of conviviality for the entire body of commissioners. The Sovereign, that evening, touched on the fact that we are a family, which is our strength, and which is not seen anywhere else," he concludes, recalling that the commissioners are all volunteers. "We must never forget this because we ask a lot of them." And their passion does the rest.

The documentary will be broadcast on May 24 at 5:30 p.m. on Canal + Sports , at 7:45 p.m. on Canal + free-to-air and at 9 p.m. on Monaco Info , which will rebroadcast it on Sunday at 1 p.m.