Charles Leclerc is one of the most talented and popular F1 drivers on the grid today. Ever since the beginning, he dreamed of making it big in the sport and driving for his favorite team, Scuderia Ferrari. As a child, the Monegasque driver had many racing idols, but only one man made him fall in love with F1.
Leclerc has often spoken about his close bond with his father Hervé. The two spent a lot of time when Leclerc was a child and used to travel to F1 races together. In an interview with Twitch streamer Manuelito, Leclerc spoke about how traveling to races with his father made him love this sport.
The Ferrari ace revealed that he traveled to racing tracks with his dad when he was just four years old. The memories he created over there with the man he loved, made him fueled his passion for Formula 1 and it ended up becoming the career he chose.
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Charles Leclerc lied to his father to fulfill his last wish
Hervé had a huge role to play during his son’s junior racing career, and his dream was to see him compete at the pinnacle of motorsport. In 2017, Leclerc had to lie to his father and tell him that he reached F1 before he had actually done so.
Leclerc’s father was on his deathbed in 2017, also the year the former competed in the 2017 F2 world championship. Right before the race in Azerbaijan that year, Leclerc traveled to Monaco to tell his father that he signed a contract with an F1 team. Of course, Leclerc hadn’t signed for any outfit yet but told his father he had because it was his last wish.
My father has done absolutely everything for me to get to where I am today. He was always doing everything to give everyone around a smile and to make our family happy.
5 years you are gone and I miss you everyday. You were the best father I could have wished for, I love you♾❤️ pic.twitter.com/iPKFDgQLzc— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) June 20, 2022
Hervé Leclerc may not have lived to see his son race in F1, but just months after he passed away, the Monegasque landed himself a deal with Sauber F1 team. After impressing everyone in his rookie season, he earned his dream move to Ferrari in 2019.
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Leclerc feels optimistic about 2023 F1 season
2022 was a year of disappointment for Leclerc. The 25-year-old old started the season with two race wins in three outings, but his early title charge faded away with time. Ferrari’s strategy goof ups and reliability issues hampered his first ever championship battle and this is something he wants to change in 2023.
Handing the SF-23 over to @Charles_Leclerc for the afternoon stint.
Time to collate even more data 📊 pic.twitter.com/UFIlAnoq8V
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 24, 2023
After the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Leclerc admitted that he is optimistic about his and Ferrari’s chances this year. He believes that the car looks strong in testing, but will be even better after it is at its 100%.
