With a 42 Hour Karting Marathon, Charles Leclerc Set to Pay Tribute to His Long Gone Godfather

Sabyasachi Biswas | 10/07/2023
With a 42 Hour Karting Marathon, Charles Leclerc Set to Pay Tribute to His Long Gone Godfather

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.

People who are interested can send a mail to [email protected]. 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.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Charles Leclerc Jules Bianchi

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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