Charles Leclerc remembers godfather Jules Bianchi - “He helped me in my career until, unfortunately his accident in 2014”

During a recent interview with the Gentleman's Journal, Ferrari's star driver Charles Leclerc opened up about several personal memories and experiences. The 23-year-old driver spoke highly of his godfather, the late F1 racer Jules Bianchi.

Much like Leclerc, Bianchi was also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Before starting his career as an F1 driver for Marussia, the Frenchman worked as a test driver for Ferrari and Force India. Bianchi got his break in motorsport at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. However, during his second season in Formula 1, Bianchi met with a fatal accident during the 2014 Suzuka Grand Prix. After colliding head-on with a rescue vehicle, Bianchi suffered a severe brain injury, which eventually resulted in the death of the #17 driver after nine months.

The untimely death of his godfather had an impact on Charles Leclerc's life. The Monegasque racer opened up about his mentor and good friend Bianchi with Gentleman's Journal's senior journalist Rory Smith.

“He was actually the son of my father’s best friend who was managing the karting track on that day I first tried it. He (Bianchi) helped me in my career until, unfortunately, his accident in 2014 in Japan,” Leclerc said, explaining his relationship with Bianchi.

Apart from Jules Bianchi, Leclerc also lost his father, Hervé Leclerc, to a prolonged illness in 2017. Despite the loss, the Monaco-based racer went on to win the Formula 2 championship in the same year, thereby opening the door to a Formula 1 seat with Sauber in 2018.

As of now, Charles Leclerc is placed in third position in the 2024 driver's championship, behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) and Lando Norris (McLaren).

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Charles Leclerc paid tribute to his godfather Jules Bianchi with a special helmet at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix

To honor a decade of the passing of Jules Bianchi, Charles Leclerc wore a special helmet during the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix weekend. The helmet was a near-replica of Bianchi's design from his 2014 Formula 1 season.

Apart from the helmet, the 26-year-old also shared a special tribute to the late Frenchman on his Instagram page. Here's a look at the post, captioned:

"A special helmet in memory of a very special person for me. ❤️10 years this year since we have lost Jules here in Japan. So many memories together that I’ll never ever forget. I miss you and I’ll do everything to bring that helmet on the top step of the podium on Sunday.🤍"

Although the Monegasque driver started eighth in the race, a cleverly-timed two-stop strategy got him into the top three places during the second half. However, Leclerc eventually had to settle for fourth place.

This was primarily due to his tires lacking outright grip against RBR's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, and his teammate Carlos Sainz, who were on a three-pit-stop strategy.