Charles Leclerc unveils a new helmet for the 2022 French GP as a tribute to his late father Herve and friend Jules Bianchi.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will be racing this Sunday with an aim to win. He claimed a victory earlier in Austria in style great style.
Charles overtook Red Bull’s Max Verstappen thrice to claim his lead. He has closed in on the 2nd spot in the driver’s standings and is just 38 points behind Max.
Another reason why Leclerc’s morale will be boosted is the location. The 12th round of the season takes place in familiar territory, on the French Riviera.
Leclerc was born and raised in the Mediterranean principality of Monaco. And just 2 hours away, you’d reach Le Castellet, where the circuit Paul Ricard is located.
The French GP is in a known territory for Charles and has been his 2nd home race.He has also claimed that France has a special connection in his heart.
And the Monegasque has prepared a stunning new helmet to race this weekend. The Ferrari driver will be wearing a white helmet with images of moments from his childhood.
How it all began pic.twitter.com/uAFIXusryk
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) July 22, 2022
The helmet is a fitting tribute to his late father Herve Leclerc and friend Jules Bianchi. It also has the words ‘Papa’ and ‘Jules’ scribed on the rear.
The Monegasque claims his father was the reason he is in F1. And last week marked the passing of his dear friend Jules. Making this a fitting tribute for two individuals closest to his heart.
The Helmet is made by Bell Labs which also provides helmets to Lewis Hamilton amongst other F1 drivers. Their helmets cost from $6000 onwards and are made within the safety regulations of F1.
Also Read: Charles Leclerc feels partly French after anthem goof-up in 2017 F2 Championship
How Charles Leclerc’s father introduced him to racing
Charles Leclerc is one of the finest drivers in the F1 grid. And the Ferrari driver owes it to his father Herve Leclerc. Herve was a racer in his youth and even raced in F3.
Herve used to take his son Charles to races on weekends. This instigated the young kid to have a keen interest in motorsports. He later introduced his son to Karting.
Leclerc said, “My biggest connection with France is that everything started here for me in motorsport. I started in Brignoles, 60 km from Le Castellet. Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday when I didn’t have school, I came here with my father.”
Charles Leclerc on Jules Bianchi:“Jules was older than me, so you always push yourself to beat him. They are very good memories of us together, but he was more than a mentor, he was also an extremely close friend, a bit like family.” #JulesBianchi pic.twitter.com/z9E3lMi9iT
— Racing Line (@racinglinenews) July 17, 2022
Eventually, during his karting days, he would meet Jules Bianchi. Jules took Charles under his stewardship and mentored him closely.
Last week marked 7 years since the passing of Jules. He died in a crash during the 2015 Japanese GP in Suzuka. While his dad, Herve passed away in 2017 before Charles made his F1 debut.
Also Read: Jules Bianchi foresaw what Ferrari superstar is capable of long ago
