Ferrari Driver Charles Leclerc Just Bought One Of Riva’s Biggest Yachts
The Formula 1 star took delivery of a heavily customized Riva 102′ Corsaro Super—complete with Minotti furnishings, Frette linens, and twin 2,638-horsepower MTU engines—just in time for Monaco.
As Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc speeds through the Nouvelle Chicane at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, expect to see his new wife, Alexandra Leclerc, looking on from the massive beach club of his new Riva yacht docked at Port Hercule.
The Monegasque F1 driver, who already owned the Riva 82′ Diva, just took ownership of the 20th Riva 102′ Corsaro Super at the fine boatbuilder’s La Spezia shipyard specializing in its largest watercraft. Leclerc’s customizations run throughout the 102-foot member of Riva’s flybridge class, among them various pieces by Minotti, a prestigious Italian luxury furniture company. Minotti’s contributions appear throughout the exterior spaces, including the flybridge—equipped with a custom bar, an oversized grill, induction cooktop, two fridges, and an ice maker—and the aforementioned aft beach club, which clocks in at an incredible 420 square feet and is complemented by an inflatable platform for water toys.
Inside, the all-Italian design affair continues with architecturally minded furnishings from Poliform and several more selections from the mind of the F1 World Championship contender—the door handles for instance, were chosen personally by Leclerc. Immersive multimedia comes courtesy of Bang & Olufsen audio/video systems, which are installed in the main lounge and the master suite. The latter is also where you’ll find the interior’s crowning space: an en-suite bathroom fitted with polished Calacatta Vagli Oro marble and Corian Calacatta Greige, a contemporary nonporous material. The fine fabrics chosen for the master cabin and the guest cabins on the lower deck include bed linen, bath towels, beach towels, duvets and mattress toppers by Frette, while the social and dining areas are decorated with Christofle tableware.
Dual 16-cylinder diesel engines from Motoren und Turbinen Union represent one of the few elements aboard that’s not Italian, but there’s a good reason for the national departure. MTU is effectively the propulsion gold standard of the yachting industry, and the M96L is the highest-output in MTU’s 2000 series of engines. In Leclerc’s Riva, they’re good for 2,638 horsepower each, a cruising speed of 24 knots (28 mph) and a top speed of 28 knots (32 mph). A number of stabilizing features also ensure that cruising is as comfortable as possible, including Hydrotab Interceptor trim tabs, Sleipner Vector Fins, and specially equipped Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilizers, which significantly reduce rolling both at anchor and underway.
“Charles’s passion for Riva, which is of course reciprocal, is a testament to quality and beauty that we welcome with boundless joy,” said Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi. “If such a formidable driver and icon of style and elegance chooses once again one of our boats, it means that Riva, and in this case the magnificent 102′ Corsaro Super, offers unrivaled standards of beauty, livability and technology. Many thanks once again Charles, have fun and enjoy the water on your new Riva!”
