Charles Leclerc has revealed that his memories with late godfather and former Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi are “the best I have in motorsport”.
Leclerc has endured his share of personal losses in life so far in motorsport, with Bianchi being one of the most pivotal of them all.
The French racing driver was one of the brightest prospects in F1, whose life was tragically cut short following his freak accident at a soaking wet Suzuka International Circuit during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
For Leclerc, Bianchi was more than just another driver he looked up to – he was his “sporting godfather”, someone who helped shape his passion and talent for this craft.
Reflecting on his relationship with Bianchi, the Ferrari driver expressed how he holds his memories with him as the most cherished of his time in this sport.
“I was 17. He was my sporting godfather. He had always been there from the beginning,” he said on the The BSMT by Gianluca Gazzoli podcast.
“I have some videos of the two of us at home, where he would take a kart; Jules would bring a smaller kart to race with me, who was 6-7-8 years younger than him.
“These are the best memories I have in motorsport.
“Every Wednesday after the race, we would go and race together, and it was also a time for me where I learned a lot, because I was racing with people older than me, and especially with Jules, who was an absolutely extraordinary driver.
“All of these moments were incredibly special, and that’s what made happy.”
Charles Leclerc reveals “huge shock” after learning about Bianchi’s F1 fatality
Since Bianchi’s horrific shunt with a stationary truck that was loading Adrian Sutil’s stranded car, F1 has ramped up driver safety.
But for F1 to have grown into this, it had endure the loss of a driver who was destined for glory.
The Monegasque driver recalled how he learned of these tragic turn of events.
“I was in a race when it happened. I didn’t really understand everything that had happened,” he explained.
“Even my father tried not to tell me the whole truth, because I was about to get into a car for my race. Therefore, I didn’t know all the details of what had happened.
“Afterwards, he explained everything to me, and that came as a huge shock.”
After the incident in October 2014, Bianchi succumbed to his injuries sustained in the 250G+ impact the following year on the 17th of July – just weeks shy of his 26th birthday.
READ MORE – Charles Leclerc reveals the ‘difficult’ side of being an F1 driver
Discussion about this post