Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has provided details about how a big personal tragedy shaped him from a psychological point view into the Formula 1 racer he is today.
The 25-year-old agreed to talk about some of the most difficult moments of his life in a new biography called ‘Le Prodige’.
The Ferrari man explained how the loss of his father in six years ago was not only the cause of much agony, but also a moment that became a turning point in his journey to the most important motorsport series.
Charles Leclerc, who is now ready to start his fifth year with the Maranello team and is looking to bring Ferrari its first Drivers’ title since 2007, was honest and deep as he spoke of losing his father Hervé and also his friend Jules Bianchi.
Jules Bianchi was the godfather of Charles Leclerc, before his tragic death following a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Leclerc Sr passed away at the age of 54 in June 2017 following a long illness. A few days after this tragic moment, Charles was due to be racing in Formula 2 in Azerbaijan, but not taking part in the Baku race was not something that the Monegasque even took into consideration. Charles ever even considered.
“On my father’s funeral day, I had the authorization to drive the hearse…We drove a bit in the town before going to the cemetery. Did I need a psychological help back then? No, I stayed alone in a corner. I rather wanted to think by myself and prepare the race. I never thought of not driving in Baku. My dad was my number one fan. He wanted me to be good at each race, so no there was never a doubt because I was sure he would have wanted me to be there and to win for him. And to be honest, yes it was the worst way of getting ready for a race. Jules passing away was a shock and something difficult to understand and to accept. Losing my father who helped me so much in my career was another shock.” – Charles Leclerc admitted.
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“It was tough you know. No matter what you do, nothing prepares you when you lose your father. I’ve become more mature because losing him made me have more responsibilities out of the blue, making me grow as a man. Mentally I’m stronger than ever after losing my father so early in my life. This changes you forever.” – the Ferrari man added.
“My first memory of Maranello was with Jules. He had a photoshoot and he tried to make me come inside with him but it didn’t work, so I had to wait outside. But it was then when I realised that the whole town was dedicated to Ferrari.” – Charles Leclerc recalled.
Charles Leclerc and his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz will be in action this week at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Scuderia Ferrari ready to take part in the three days of winter pre-season testing ahead of the first round of the 2023 Formula 1 season. The test begins on Thursday February 23 and runs through to Saturday afternoon.
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