Charles Leclerc believes his rapid rise through the junior series all the way to his 2019 seat with Ferrari wouldn’t have been likely without the help from Jules Bianchi.
The pair grew up together with the Monegasque racing at a karting track owned by Bianchi’s father in Brignoles in the South of France, eventually both becoming members of the Ferrari young driver academy.
Destiny could well have eventually seen Jules and Charles race together for the Scuderia until the former Marussia driver tragically died from head injuries sustained in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
However, Leclerc never forgets the impact Bianchi had on him.
“He has always been a massive help with me. When I started Formula [racing], he was always there,” he said to Mobil 1 The Grid.
“At the end of the first day, I would call him and say, ‘This thing I’m not so good [at]’, he could explain it to me and I’ve improved probably a bit quicker than the others thanks to him, because he helped me during my career when he was there.
“He’s definitely truly missed, as a person especially, but also as a help,” he concluded.
Tragedy then struck the 20-year-old again during his dominant F2 season in 2017 with the death of his father Herve prior to the Azerbaijan GP weekend.
“It was definitely very hard because I lost him on the Wednesday before the race. It was very, very fresh,” Charles remembered.
“The thing I told myself was that [my father] seeing me racing was everything, and he would not want me to be destroyed before the race and do a bad race.
“The only thing he would want me to do was win for him and we won race 1 and we won race 2 on track, although we took a 10-second penalty that put us P2, but in my mind it will stay as a good memory, that weekend, and I’m very happy to have honoured him this way.”
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Next year, Leclerc will achieve his ultimate goal of racing in F1 for Ferrari and vows to keep both Bianchi and his father very much in his mind.
“My father was definitely very proud when I told him I had signed in F1, even though it was a bit earlier than I had really signed,” he recalled.
“But at the end, I didn’t really lie because I am here and now in Ferrari, which feels incredible.
“Jules probably deserved this place more than I do and I’m extremely happy to be the one that has his place. I will try to honour him in the way he deserves.”