Charles Leclerc has recently decided to pay tribute to his late godfather and friend, Jules Bianchi by participating in a 42-hour-long karting marathon in France. The Ferrari driver took to social media to make this announcement as he continues to miss Bianchi, whom he lost in 2015, after a tragic accident at the 2014 Japanese GP.
Leclerc, who is Bianchi’s godson, holds him in very high regard. The Frenchman played a vital role in paving Leclerc’s way into F1 when he was small. Bianchi was Leclerc’s elder brother’s best friend and a pioneer for the current Ferrari star in motorsport in multiple ways.
Bianchi’s crash in 2014 was a dark moment in F1. Following that, he went into a coma and was hospitalized for nine months until he succumbed to his injuries. Bianchi’s death in 2015, was the first F1 related death in the sport since Ayrton Senna’s crash in 1994 in Imola.
Charles Leclerc ready for the tribute
On his official Instagram account, Leclerc confirmed through a story that he is gearing up for the event that pays tribute to Bianchi. He confirmed his presence for this particular event by simply writing, “I’ll be there. #JB17.”
As per reports, Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet will host the marathon on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of September. It will be a karting based marathon and anyone can be a part of this event, held in honor of Bianchi’s life.
.@Charles_Leclerc via IG stories: “i’ll be there #JB17 ❤️”
charles will join the jules bianchi karting marathon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pVidA8AZ8P
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) July 10, 2023
People who are interested can send a mail to marathonkarting@gmail.com. Or they can contact the organizers via website www.bianchi-lagorce-events.com. This event is brought into association with Jules Bianchi Association, Richard Mille, and Circuit Paul Ricard Karting.
How has Bianchi been instrumental for Leclerc?
Apart from being a mentor to Charles Leclerc, Jules Bianchi was also a Leclerc family friend. The Leclercs and Bianchis were two separate families who formed a great connection. As a result, they forged a close bond, and young Charles became close to Bianchi.
There was a time when Leclerc ran out of money to fulfil his dream of making it to F1. Bianchi, however, had his back, helping him secure the necessary funds. Additionally, the Frenchman also instilled the love for Ferrari into Leclerc, who made it the team of his dreams from a very young age.
Soon, he became a Ferrari Academy Driver and now is a star of the Maranello-based outfit. Since joining Ferrari, Leclerc’s career has firmly been on an upward trajectory. His popularity too increases tenfold, every single year. With that, the young man from Monaco also believes that he can uphold the Ferrari legacy and bring back the glory days from the past despite the recent struggles.
