Charles Leclerc has recently opened up on the day when he met his Godfather Jules Bianchi. Bianchi, who is no longer alive now, had been one of the supporting pillars of the Ferrari driver. Now, the Monegasque reflected on the day when he got to meet Bianchi.
Leclerc, speaking about this, said in a report published by lofficielitalia.com, “I told my father [late Herve Leclerc] that I wasn’t feeling very well and I didn’t want to go to school. Of course, I was pretending like all kids do. However, I don’t know why, he indulged me and took me to the go-kart track of his best friend, Philippe Bianchi.”
Following this, he added, “Seeing other children running on the track, I wanted to try it too. For my first car I chose the color red. And I think I fell in love with this sport after just three laps“. On that go-kart, Leclerc met Philippe Bianchi’s son Jules Bianchi, who later went on to become the Godfather of the Ferrari driver.
F1 for you also means your father and Jules Bianchi. Is there an anecdote that reminds you of them more than others?@Charles_Leclerc : “With Jules, I remember the first time he scored points here in Monaco, it was a very special year. We had a party for his beautiful race.”
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) May 21, 2021
Bianchi himself was a former racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team. Apart from this, he previously raced for Formula Renault 3.5, and Formula 3 and was a Ferrari Driver Academy member.
His F1 journey began with Sahara Force India as a practice driver in 2012. He then debuted in 2013 for Marussia and went on to drive for them in 2014. However, on October 5, 2014, the fateful day in the Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi lost control of his Marussia and hit a recovery vehicle. It was a point of no return for the Frenchman as he went into a coma and breathed his last on July 17, 2015.
Charles Leclerc remembered how Jules Bianchi stopped him from quitting racing
Charles Leclerc is a renowned F1 driver now. Along with the Ferrari fame and brilliant talent, the Monegasque driver made a name for himself in motorsport. However, none of this would’ve been possible if Jules Bianchi didn’t stop the 26-year-old from quitting racing.
At the end of 2011, Leclerc and his family had no means to pay for the former’s motorsport career. It is understandable how expensive top-tier motorsport can be. Therefore, the Leclerc family had no option but to force the young Leclerc to quit.
RIP Jules Bianchi (1989-2015) #F1 #RIP #CiaoJules (pictured with a very young Charles Leclerc) pic.twitter.com/wjNAxyYn0b
— Motorsports in the 2000s (@CrystalRacing) July 17, 2022
However, Bianchi came as a savior at this point. He talked to Nicholas Todt, son of Jean Todt to sponsor the Monegasque’s junior career. In the end, Todt initially agreed to fund Leclerc’s junior career but lastly went on to fund it till he made it to F1.
Therefore, it might not have been possible for Charles Leclerc to make it this far without Jules Bianchi’s help. No wonder why the Ferrari driver has so much respect for him and hails him as the Godfather.
