“Without Jules, I would be nowhere”: Charles Leclerc grateful to Godfather Jules Bianchi for helping him build a racing career

“Without Jules, I would be nowhere”: Charles Leclerc grateful to Godfather Jules Bianchi for helping him build a racing career

Right before the Monaco Grand Prix, which is all set to begin amidst the sprawling hills of Monte Carlo, Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc sat down for a quick chat about his journey in F1 till now with New York Times. The 24-year-old Monegasque is currently in the second position in the F1 World Drivers’ Championship standings after losing his lead to title rival Max Verstappen in last week’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Now that Charles Leclerc is about to race for the oldest team on Formula 1 in his home Grand Prix, a lot of expectations rest on the shoulders of the Scuderia racer. Charles had signed with Ferrari in 2019, and ever since then, the Maranello outfit has not been able to build him a car strong enough to aim for the Championship, but this time, Ferrari has outperformed itself in making the near-perfect SF-75 racecar.

With a brilliant car, and the support of the most successful F1 team in the history of the sport, Charles is expected to win the Championship this year. And for that, Leclerc knows winning the Monaco GP will be a crucial task. While talking about his improvements in Formula 1 ever since he first debuted in this sport, Charles Leclerc also mentioned his father, who was a former F3 driver, and F1 racer Jules Bianchi, Charles’ Godfather. He said, without the contributions from these two people, Charles would not be where he is today.

FS Video

Charles Leclerc takes a walk down the memory lane right before the Monaco Grand Prix is about to kick off

Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc

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For Charles Leclerc, his career in motorsports started when he was only seven years of age. As a child, Charles would participate in karting, and he always dreamed of going into F1, as he admired his father and Godfather very much. In 2019, when Charles signed his first contract in F1, he lost his father just a few months prior to this momentous event of his career.

While speaking of how his father had taught him to be calm even when he felt like he could do anything after winning a karting competition, Charles also mentioned the valuable advice he got from Jules Bianchi. Charles said, “Without Jules, I would be nowhere.”

Charles went on to mention how he could not have kept participating in karting Championships if Bianchi hadn’t gone to Nicholas, who funded Charles’ career from then on.

Charles also said, “He (Jules Bianchi) also taught me so many things when I was younger that allowed me to take my first steps in car racing and have been fundamental for my career and for me as a person. Jules will forever be with me.”

Jules Bianchi died from brain-related complications in 2015, after sustaining life-threatening injuries in the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014.

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