Charles Leclerc pays tribute to Jules Bianchi, ten years after his death

We have just passed the tenth anniversary of the death of Jules Bianchi, which occurred on July 17, 2015, on which occasion Charles Leclerc gave a poignant account of his relationship with his godfather.

Bianchi, who died as a result of injuries sustained during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, was then contesting his second season in Formula 1 in the colors of the Marussia team.

Beyond the promising driver the paddock knew, Jules Bianchi occupied a special place in the life of the young Monegasque. A close childhood friend of Leclerc’s elder brother, Bianchi was also his godfather, a role charged with affection and reference points in the Ferrari driver’s personal and professional trajectory.

While Bianchi’s talent and promising future in Formula 1 are unanimously praised by observers of the sport, the more intimate aspects of his life are less often evoked. Through Leclerc’s words, a deeper, more human side of the former French driver emerges in this tribute.

Referring to his relationship with Bianchi, Leclerc told F1.com: “I have a few anecdotes from that time, like the first horror film I saw with Jules. He didn’t know I was pretending to be asleep. He was trying to make sure I was asleep because he wanted to see this movie with my older brother! Jules was a really nice person. He was very funny and had his moments when you got to know him. He was always ready to help and really liked to have fun.”

“The most vivid memories are probably when I was six or seven, when I got to drive a rental kart with him and my brother for the first time,” adds Leclerc. “Normally, rental karts are reserved for adults, but his father ran the circuit and obviously let us do things that might not have been allowed. I admired him a lot, so racing with him, with my older brother, with his younger brother and with many other professional kart drivers of the time was incredible. We had so much fun. We’d hang out together and wait for the circuit to close to the public so we could get in. Then we’d go wild on the track for hours and hours. Those are probably the most precious memories I have.”

Source Article : https://f1only.fr/charles-leclerc-evoque-rend-hommage-a-jules-bianchi-dix-ans-apres-sa-disparition/