Charles Leclerc scripted history this week by surpassing three-time F1 world champion Ayrton Senna in a unique record. The Monegasque now holds the record for auctioning the most expensive race helmet. The 25-year-old did so by raising a staggering $330,227 for his exclusive Monaco Grand Prix helmet.
Leclerc auctioned off that helmet to support the victims of the Emilia Romagna region. According to various reports such as Al Jazeera, the floods in the Emilia Romagna region a few weeks ago killed 15 people and resulted in thousands of people being evacuated to safety.
Since Leclerc drives for Ferrari, a team whose headquarters are extremely close to where the floods occurred, the Monegasque thought that it was his duty to support the victims in any way that he could. Hence, he auctioned off his exclusive helmet, one that received inspiration from his father’s helmet.
Leclerc managed to raise almost twice the amount that Senna raised from his helmet sale back in 1990. On that occasion, the Brazilian had raised $174,207.
Charles Leclerc also auctioned off his race kit
Alongside his exclusive race helmet, Charles Leclerc also auctioned off his exclusive race kit during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. He raised a whopping $382,531 as a result of selling his kit.
Both his helmet and his race kit were special items as they were both inspired by his late father, Herve. In an exclusive interview on Ferrari’s official website, Leclerc explained his reasoning for the emotional gesture that he made.
“Through my father, I discovered the legendary Ayrton Senna. And I was able to see just what he could do here in Monaco. I began to dream that, one day, maybe I could do it too. Being able to race today on the same track that contributed to the legend around him is something very special for me,” explained the Monegasque.
Verstappen, Norris, and Tsunoda also played their part
Charles Leclerc was not the only driver that aided the Emilia Romagna flood victims as the likes of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Yuki Tsunoda also played their part. Both Verstappen and Norris raised money by holding a simulator racing event.
While the amount that the Dutchman raised is unknown, Norris raised $1,244 for every 250 subscribers that he got for his live stream. And when it came to Tsunoda, he was at the site of the floods. The Japanese driver aided the people of the city in cleaning up Faenza.
With 15 killed and over 50,000 displaced as a result of the floods, Michele de Pascale, the mayor of Ravenna, in an interview with Rai radio (as quoted by the Guardian) referred to it as the “worst night in the history of Romagna“.
