Jean Todt believes Charles Leclerc’s promotion to Ferrari for the 2019 Formula 1 season represented far more than a driver change. According to the former team principal, placing such a young and relatively inexperienced talent in one of the most demanding seats on the grid marked a fundamental shift in the Scuderia’s traditional philosophy.
Ferrari had historically preferred established Formula 1 drivers who were already accustomed to competing under intense pressure. Leclerc’s arrival from Sauber therefore challenged a long-standing approach at Maranello and demonstrated that the team had become more willing to trust the leading prospects emerging from its own development programme.
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari promotion changed an established mentality
Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari after an impressive rookie campaign with Alfa Romeo in 2018. His promotion made the Monegasque the team’s youngest regular Formula 1 driver since 1961, although Oliver Bearman later became the youngest driver ever to race for the Scuderia when he made his substitute appearance in 2024.
The move was not based on a single strong season. Ferrari had monitored and supported Leclerc for several years through its young-driver structure, while his back-to-back success on the Formula 3 and Formula 2 ladder had already established him as one of motorsport’s leading prospects. His first Formula 1 campaign then confirmed that he could combine outright speed with the maturity needed to perform at the highest level.
That rapid rise had previously been explored through accounts of Charles Leclerc’s early development within the Ferrari system, which began well before he was considered ready for a place alongside an experienced world champion.
Jean Todt nevertheless acknowledged that promoting a driver so early in his Formula 1 career was not an obvious decision. He explained that investing directly in young talent had not traditionally formed part of Ferrari’s DNA, but argued that the mentality within the team changed when Leclerc was selected for the 2019 season after only one year with Sauber.
Ferrari rejected a similar risk with Jules Bianchi
Todt contrasted Ferrari’s faith in Charles Leclerc with the opportunity that never arrived for Jules Bianchi. His comments came during an interview with Auto Hebdo shortly after the 11th anniversary of Bianchi’s death following the injuries he sustained in his Japanese Grand Prix accident.
Jules Bianchi had been widely viewed as a future Ferrari driver during his time with Marussia. Nicolas Todt, Jean Todt’s son, represented the Frenchman throughout his career, and Bianchi had been considered a potential successor to Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello.
Ferrari ultimately retained the former world champion rather than promoting the young French driver. Jean Todt admitted that those close to Bianchi had been disappointed by the decision, even though they had not been surprised by it.
In his assessment, asking Bianchi to move directly from Marussia to Ferrari would have represented an enormous step. Todt indicated that he understood the team’s caution because of the performance expectations, scrutiny and pressure attached to racing for Formula 1’s most famous team.
However, the Scuderia later accepted a comparable risk with Charles Leclerc. Todt regarded that decision as evidence that the organisation had become more open to promoting youth rather than waiting for a driver to build several seasons of experience elsewhere.
Jules Bianchi helped open Charles Leclerc’s route to Formula 1
The connection between Charles Leclerc and Jules Bianchi extended far beyond their association with Ferrari. Jean Todt first became aware of Leclerc through the close relationship between the two families.
Jules Bianchi was a close friend of Lorenzo Leclerc, Charles Leclerc’s older brother, while their fathers, Philippe Bianchi and Hervé Leclerc, were also close. Those personal links helped create the circumstances that eventually brought the young Monegasque into contact with the Todt family.
Leclerc began karting at the Brignoles circuit, where Bianchi’s family was closely involved. When additional support became necessary to continue his career, Bianchi advised the Leclerc family to approach Nicolas Todt. The manager subsequently helped guide Leclerc’s early progress, just as he had supported Bianchi.
Nicolas Todt has previously described Jules Bianchi’s decisive role in Charles Leclerc’s career, as well as the circumstances behind his first meeting with the future Ferrari driver.
Both drivers later became members of the Ferrari Driver Academy, although only Leclerc was able to complete the journey into a full-time race seat at Maranello. His promotion followed years of investment from the Italian team and a 2018 campaign in which he demonstrated the ability to perform consistently despite having limited Formula 1 experience.
Jean Todt sees part of Jules Bianchi in Charles Leclerc
For Jean Todt, the similarities between the two drivers remain visible whenever Charles Leclerc competes. He identified parallels in their backgrounds, career paths, manner of speaking and even their physical appearance.
Todt also suggested that Leclerc’s Formula 1 career partly exists because of the advice and assistance provided by Bianchi during its earliest stages. In that sense, the Monegasque is now achieving many of the ambitions his late friend had hoped to fulfil with Ferrari.
The emotional connection has also been highlighted by Nicolas Todt when discussing Charles Leclerc’s original move to Ferrari and the expectations surrounding his 2019 season.
Jean Todt explained that every Leclerc victory carries additional meaning for him because it recalls the career Bianchi was never able to complete. He therefore views the Ferrari driver’s success as something shared symbolically with the Frenchman who helped him begin his path towards Formula 1.
Leclerc’s arrival changed the direction of Ferrari’s driver policy while also completing a journey shaped by personal relationships, junior-category success and the support of the Ferrari Driver Academy. In Todt’s view, the decision showed that Maranello had finally become prepared to place its future in the hands of a young talent, even with all the risks and pressure that such a promotion involved.
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