Family dynasties are common in motor racing – the success of Michael Schumacher, his brother Ralf and now son Mick are just one example among many – but the support of his family has always been very important to Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc.
The 24-year-old believes he was always destined to be a racing driver, but at the same time is aware that he might not have made it all the way to Formula 1 without the early influence of his father Hervé who himself raced in Formula 3 during the 1980s and 1990s.
“My father introduced me to motorsport so I don’t know if I would have become what I am if it weren’t for him,” Charles Leclerc said in an exclusive interview for Ferrari’s official magazine – “I would have ended up as a racing driver anyway, since it’s in my DNA,” he mused. “It’s what I love doing the most. But I don’t think I would have made it to F1 without him,” says Charles. “His example was fundamental for my growth, as a driver, as much as, as a person.” – he added.
Sadly Hervé died after a long illness in 2017 aged 54. Just a few days later, Charles Leclerc took part in the Formula 2 feature race in Baku, Azerbaijan and scored a win which he of course dedicated to his late father.
Charles is the middle of three sons. The eldest brother Lorenzo was also involved in racing as a boy but has since stepped away and supports Charles and younger brother Arthur from the sidelines in a management role. Charles was GP3 champion in 2016 and then won the Formula 2 title the next year, which helped him earn a place in Formula 1, making his debut for Sauber. After just one season during which he impressed, Scuderia Ferrari offered him a long-term contract, as he replaced 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
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Three years younger than Charles, Arthur is following closely in his brother’s tyre tracks. He joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2020, and will return for a sophomore season in Formula 3 with the Prema squad this year. That means the pair are often to be found together in the paddock at Grand Prix weekends offering each other assistance and help:
“The support goes both ways,” Charles explained. “He knows I’m there for any personal things he needs. But when it comes to racing, I prefer to let him find his own way and to make progress on his own, which I think is very important in this sport. Sometimes, during a race weekend, when he’s following my Formula 1 race on TV he spots things that maybe I’ve not noticed from inside the cockpit, and he lets me know to try and help me which is always nice.” – he explained.
However, that does not mean that the Leclerc boys don’t have the same healthy level of competition you’d find between many other siblings: “Our relationship is the normal kind of relationship that you find between brothers when there’s not much age difference between them,” Charles acknowledged – “We’ve always been competitive, especially when we were younger,” he continued. “When we were little, being three years younger than me, he always wanted to do the same things that I did. When I was eight or nine it was quite easy to beat him,” he added with a smile. “[But] as grown-ups that three-year age advantage has disappeared. Nowadays it’s really hard to get the better of him, especially at tennis or [racquet doubles sport] padel, so that sense of competitiveness between us is still very keen.” – he continued.
Charles Leclerc has been spending some of his off-duty time with his family, including a return to the Brignoles karting track in the south of France where he spent so much time as a young boy honing his early driving skills.
“We went mainly just to have fun, it is a place that’s close to my heart,” he said. “When we were younger our whole family used to go karting there, and going back to our racing roots is always a great way to relax and have fun together.”
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