Charles Leclerc is one of the most popular F1 drivers of all time, and his rise to the top was always seen as inevitable. The Monegasque driver was a huge talent during his junior career and won the Formula 2 championship, a year before he landed his first F1 contract.
Leclerc’s 2017 F2 season was extraordinary to say the least, as he won the drivers’ championships with 282 points to his name, 72 more than second-placed Artem Markelov. However, in his personal life, Leclerc was going through a lot in 2017. His father, Hervé, who was one of the most important people in his life, passed away during the season.
1 month that feels like 10 years. I’ll forever miss you. I’ll push to make you the proudest father from up there ❤ pic.twitter.com/QcbNzCRPjh
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) July 20, 2017
Leclerc has often spoken about the bond that he shares with his father. He revealed long ago that racing was a part of his father’s life, so he got his passion for F1 from Hervé. It was the latter’s dream to see his son drive for Ferrari in Formula 1 one day.
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Charles Leclerc attended his father’s funeral days before his F2 race
In his biography Le Prodige, Leclerc talked about the day he attended his father’s funeral. Hervé passed away at the age of 54 after battling a long illness, just four days before the F2 Feature race in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Of course, Leclerc attended the funeral and even revealed that he had authorization to drive the hearse. A hearse is a vehicle that carries the coffin of a person who has recently passed away, and Leclerc wanted to be the one to drive it for some time.
The Ferrari ace added that he drove the hearse around town for a while before heading to the cemetery. The F2 race weekend was only two days away and Leclerc traveled to Baku in time to continue his championship charge.
Leclerc reveals whether he needed psychological help
Losing one’s father is extremely difficult and more often than not, people need others’ help to get through it. Considering the fact that Leclerc had to suit up for a race just three days after his father’s passing, it would be understandable if he needed psychological help.
Charles: “Did I need a psychological help back then? No, I stayed alone in a corner.
I rather wanted to think by myself and prepare the race. I never thought of not driving in Baku.”#leprodige pic.twitter.com/SIMYX4AZR0— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) February 17, 2023
In his biography, however, Leclerc revealed that he did not take anyone’s help or speak to anyone for that matter. He sat in the corner on his own, to focus only on the F2 race in Baku that he had to win to continue with his march towards the title.
Leclerc not only won the feature race, but also drove a brilliant sprint to finish P2 in the second race of the weekend. This was a very important win in what was an extremely difficult week for the Monaco-born driver.
