“That was all my father”: Charles Leclerc opens up on losing his father at a young age

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claimed that his father, Herve, used to manage his travel in his junior years and he had to grow up and take control of his life after he passed away in 2017. The Monagasque paid tribute to his father and spoke about the latter's influence in his life and racing career.

Leclerc has had a rollercoaster personal life as he lost his godfather and former F1 driver Jules Bianchi in 2015 and his father in 2017 and is survived by his mother and two brothers.

While appearing on the Jay Shetty podcast, Charles Leclerc spoke about how he had to mature and take control of his life. He said:

"To lose him at that age made me yeah an adult much much faster because you get to manage your own things much earlier. Before I was just a kid he would just bring me to the races, I would do what I love the most which is driving."

"Then flights, organization, and planning that was all on my father and he was doing that perfectly and he sacrificed a lot for me to get here. but then at one point from one day to the other, there's not your father anymore and you need to take all of these things in your hands." (20:40)

Charles Leclerc remembers his father after winning the Monaco GP

Charles Leclerc was reminiscent of his father after he won his home race in Monaco for the first time in his career on Sunday, May 26.

Speaking in his post-race press conference, the Ferrari driver pointed out that winning the Monaco Grand Prix wasn't just his dream but also his late father's. He said:

"Monaco is the Grand Prix that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver. Yeah, I remember being so young and watching the race with my friends, obviously with my father, who has done absolutely everything for me to get to where I am today, and I feel like I haven't only accomplished a dream of mine today, but also one of his. And yeah, it's just such a special weekend overall."

He even claimed that he struggled to maintain his emotions with the thought of achieving his dream as he realized:

"Actually two laps to the end that I was struggling to see out of the tunnel just because I had tears in my eyes. And I was like, ***** Charles, you cannot do that now. You still have two laps to finish."

With his win in the streets of Monaco, Charles Leclerc has garnered 138 points in eight races and two Sprints thus far and has closed the gap to Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship to 31 points.