Formula 1 is one of the most expensive sports in the world. In the past, several star drivers have often revealed about the financial difficulties their families faced in helping them reach to this stage. And Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is no different.
Despite hailing from Monaco, which is one of the most expensive countries in the world, Leclerc has revealed some shocking details about his family’s financial situation. The 25-year-old has opened up on how it was his Godfather Jules Bianchi that helped him achieve his dream when his father, Herve Leclerc, did not have the means.
Had it not been for Bianchi, Charles would have quit motorsports back in 2011 forever. And moreover, had it not been for Bianchi, fans perhaps would have never seen one of the brightest stars of this generation. Charles is currently driving for one of the top teams of F1 in Ferrari and many also deem him to be a future world champion.
“Luckily there was Jules“: Charles remains forever grateful to his godfather
In an interview that has recently gone viral, Charles Leclerc explained how he will forever remain grateful to Jules Bianchi for saving his dream of having a career in motorsports. Bianchi became Charles’ godfather since his older brother was best friends with the Frenchman and the trio used to hang out together often during their childhood.
Speaking of how Bianchi helped him amid his family’s financial crisis, Charles explained, “At the end of 2011, I had to quit motorsport because my father unfortunately no longer had the means to pay for my career. But luckily, there was Jules who was my sports godfather, who helped me a lot“.
After hearing about Charles’ concerns, Bianchi contacted Nicolas Todt to help the Monegasque. Even though Todt was initially hesitant to help Charles, he did so because of the respect he had for Bianchi.
And as it turns out, Todt revealed in a later interview that Charles never disappointed him. And the relationship between Charles and Todt blossed to such an extent that the Frenchman manages the 25-year-old until today.
After several years of being guided by Todt, Charles successfully made his F1 debut in 2018 with the Sauber team. And since then, the 25-year-old seems to have witnessed an upwards graph in his F1 career.
Charles Leclerc fought hard for the title in 2022
After four seasons in F1, Charles Leclerc finally got his first opportunity to fight for the title in the 2022 season. The Monegasque had an outstanding start as he won two of the first three opening races. Despite such a fantastic start, he finished way behind eventual champion Max Verstappen.
Leclerc struggled to match Verstappen because of the lack of pace that the Ferrari had. While the Prancing Horse was extremely quick on one-lap pace, they were far off the pace in comparison to Red Bull when it came to race pace. And that is where Leclerc suffered massively in the championship.
Despite claiming multiple pole positions over the season, the 25-year-old was barely able to keep the lead in any of the races due to Ferrari’s lack of pace. As a result, Leclerc lost the championship to Verstappen by a massive 146 points in the end.
And with Ferrari still struggling to produce a quick enough car, the struggles for Leclerc have gotten even worse now. The Monegasque is currently sixth in this year’s championship and has a lot to do if he is to finish any higher.
