Charles Leclerc told a white lie when his father was going through a terminal illness. His father, Herve Leclerc, was a massive motorsport fan who raised his son to see him drive in F1 one day. Before he passed away, Charles told him that he got a seat in the premier class of motorsport, but that wasn’t the truth. Ironically, when he became a Ferrari driver, he had to keep it a secret.
Leclerc got a call from then-Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene. The Italian manager apologized to the Monegasque for failing to offer him a Ferrari seat while he was still driving for Sauber (then Alfa Romeo).
Leclerc understood he was too young for the assignment, but the news still hurt him. But only momentarily, as Arrivabene told him he was joking and Leclerc had indeed landed the seat.
At that moment, the future Ferrari star was surrounded by friends, and the Netflix cameras following him for the filming of the popular docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’. He understood that he could not show any emotions and risk leaking the news before the official confirmation. Therefore, he had to stay quiet and behave as if nothing happened.
In a recent interview with fashion magazine Gentleman’s Journal, Leclerc revealed, “That was such a crazy feeling. I was with all my friends and also Netflix, so I couldn’t show my emotions on the call because I couldn’t announce it yet. I don’t think they ever used that scene because they never knew what was really happening on that call”.
CHARLES LECLERC X GENTLEMAN’S JOURNAL.
WOW. pic.twitter.com/N5bjJ1EFuC
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) August 2, 2024
It was a bittersweet moment for the Monegasque. On the one hand, he had achieved what he always dreamed of – driving for Ferrari. On the other hand, he did not have his father or godfather Jules Bianchi, who saw that dream with him.
Leclerc was angry with himself for lying to his father
Further in the interview, the Ferrari ace admitted to being angry with himself. That was for lying to his own father and letting him believe that he was an F1 driver when he really wasn’t.
However, that regret only lasted a few months as the offer from Ferrari-linked Alfa Romeo came calling. Finally, Leclerc came to terms with his white lie, which wasn’t really a lie after all.
Reflecting on losing his loved ones, including his father and Bianchi, he said, “You can get ready mentally for many things, especially in my professional life, like how to be focused and relaxed in intense situations. But nothing really prepares you for a very difficult personal moment that you need to go through.”
Herve passed away seven years ago on June 20, at the age of 54. Meanwhile, Bianchi tragically lost his life nine months after suffering fatal injuries at the 2014 Japanese GP.
