“I have this competitive spirit thanks to Jules”: Charles Leclerc pays tribute to Bianchi, who died ten years earlier.
Jules Bianchi’s godson, Charles Leclerc paid tribute to his former friend, who died on July 17, 2015 after nine months in a deep coma.
Ten years on, Charles Leclerc still speaks fondly of his godfather. This Thursday, July 17, 2025, on the tenth anniversary of Jules Bianchi’s death, Formula 1 published the Ferrari driver’s words, paying tribute to his former friend, who died following an accident on the Suzuka circuit in October 2014, after nine months in a deep coma.
“He was my older brother’s best friend, always around,” recalls the Monegasque. “I have a few anecdotes from those days: I saw my first horror film with Jules. He didn’t know I was pretending to be asleep. He wanted to make sure I was asleep, because he wanted to watch it with my brother.”
Ten years on, Jules remains forever in our hearts ❤️ pic.twitter.com/abdFI7AhYg
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 17, 2025
“Jules was the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”
Charles Leclerc
The first time the eight-time Grand Prix winner drove a rental kart, at the age of 6-7, Bianchi was present. “His father managed the track and let us do things we might not have been allowed to do,” says Leclerc. The latter clearly learned a lot from the former Marussia driver. “Jules was the most competitive person I’ve ever met. I feel I have this competitive spirit thanks to him,” he describes.
Competitive, but “also in the silliest things we did at home”. “I hope that Jules will be remembered as an extremely talented driver, who unfortunately never had the chance to be in a top team with a car that would have helped him show the extent of his talent,” Leclerc believes. He will remember above all his “kindness” and “the determination with which he tried to achieve his goals”.
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Posted by Frédéric