Charles Leclerc is considered one of the best stars to hail from this generation. However, in 2011, the Monegasque was close to quitting motorsports due to the lack of funds. And at that time, Jules Bianchi, his godfather, convinced Nicolas Todt, the son of Jean Todt, to help the potential F1 talent. While Todt took up this challenge 12 years ago and helped Leclerc up until F1, he never thought, as revealed by him in his recent interview with Track Limits podcast, Charles Leclerc would ever fight for a title.
In 2022, Leclerc got his first opportunity to be a title contender. Until the French Grand Prix last year, he was the direct rival of Max Verstappen and picked three wins in the process.
However, his challenge didn’t last till the end of the season, but it was refreshing for Leclerc to have some success yet again. But for Todt, this was a very far-fetched thought in 2011.
Charles Leclerc championship challenge was never on the cards
Understandably, F1 is a tensely competitive field. And only a fraction of talent ever gets to race in it, forget about winning the title. And the same was thought by Todt for a long time.
“So the first time i met him (charles) was with his dad. I knew he was a good karting driver but i didn’t know that he would be come vice-world champion in 2022, and that he had everything it takes to become a F1 world champion,” said Todt.
Well now, Leclerc is the biggest superstar at Ferrari. He apparently edged Carlos Sainz in the pecking order of the team, and with him, the Maranello-based team eyes to be back at the top.
A new commitment
In 2024, Leclerc’s contract with Ferrari will exhaust. Therefore, both sides are reportedly interested in extending the alliance. Recent reports claim that the Monegasque is set to sign a new contract that is worth around $198.5 million and will keep him tied till 2029.
In recent reports by Motorsport Italy, Leclerc even claimed that he wants to remain committed to Ferrari and win the championship. So much is his dedication that he even claimed until there will be even a slight possibility of winning the title, Leclerc would remain with Ferrari.
But right now Leclerc is not getting unrealistic. For this year, he aims to end the season right behind Red Bull, and in 2024, maybe a challenge to the world champions will be escalated.
