Jules Bianchi long ago saw that Charles Leclerc was a world-class talent and wanted people to stop talking about him and notice the Monegasque.
Charles Leclerc in 2019 became the youngest ever driver to represent Ferrari. He signed a five-year contract with them back then. Even Michael Schumacher never received such a lengthy contract from Ferrari.
And nobody questioned Ferrari for treating Leclerc like this. Because by then, everyone knew that the Monegasque had an exceptional talent and would definitely be a success with the right resources.
And since then, he has only proved his worth and the trust Ferrari kept in him. Leclerc is vying for the championship this year with a faster car.
However, long before Leclerc seriously came under the F1 world’s radar, former F1 driver Jules Bianchi realized Leclerc’s potential. Being a family friend of Leclerc, he got to see the early brilliance of the Monegasque race driver.
While Bianchi was hailed as the next big thing back in the early years of the last decade. Leo Turrini from QN Motori reveals that the French race driver at that time wanted people to see Leclerc instead of him.
“the champion of the future, is my little brother, Charles”
– Jules Bianchi #JB17 #ForeverJules https://t.co/xOdbi6wi44 pic.twitter.com/WTxawA5Tr1
— fhee (@humbugxyloto) July 17, 2022
Also read: Charles Leclerc explains how he copes up with disappointment when struggling in Formula 1
Charles Leclerc remembers Jules Bianchi
On Sunday, it was Bianchi’s seventh death anniversary. His loss was a huge shock to F1, and it also forced the FIA to make massive strides in upgrading the safety of drivers.
But, Bianchi’s death probably had the biggest impact on Leclerc. The 24-year-old race driver, when he joined Ferrari, dedicated his seat to his mentor.
Even now, he remembers Bianchi. On Sunday, Leclerc posted an image with him from years ago and captioned it: “7 years since you are gone.”
View this post on Instagram
Leclerc still uses his father and Bianchi’s birth and pass-away dates on his helmet. Moreover, he also mentioned Bianchi on his Twitter bio.
GUYS i just saw this on tiktok and noticed that Charles has his dad and Jules’ birth/pass away dates in his helmet AND #JB17 🥺 pic.twitter.com/fAvYyrr1jG
— lights out (@andawaywegof1) July 12, 2022
Also read: Charles Leclerc thinks that Lewis Hamilton could still win record eighth championship title