“You have to win for Anthoine”: Charles Leclerc shares Pierre Gasly’s emotional request after the tragic death of his dear friend in Spa

Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly lost one of their best friends, Anthoine Hubert, in a horrifying car crash in Spa back in 2019. Since the crash occurred in F2's feature race, almost all the F1 drivers were present on the circuit for F1's qualifying session as well.

The crash and eventual death of Hubert not only shook Leclerc and Gasly, but the entire circuit and every fan around the world. The night after the crash was extremely difficult for F1 drivers, especially Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc.

In his biography, the Monagasque explained how Gasly asked him to win the race for Anthoine, since he was starting the race the next day from pole position. Leclerc expressed how difficult it was for him to recover from the tragedy and put on his helmet to race on the exact same track:

“Saturday night was very difficult. I remember talking with Pierre and Esteban. Pierre told me, 'You have to win for Anthoine on Sunday,' and of course, Iawanted to do it. For me, this is the first time I find myself in the situation where you lose someone and then have to run the next day. But you lower your visor and go."

This reveals just how strong F1 drivers are, not only physically, but mentally as well. Even though each and every driver was shaken, they had to return to the same circuit the next day and give it their all. Charles Leclerc managed to win the 2019 Belgian GP and dedicated his victory to his late friend.

On the second lap of the feature race in F2, Trident driver Giuliano Alesi crashed into the left wall near the Raidillon curve after getting a puncture. Another Trident driver, Ralph Boschung, slowed down and tried to avoid the crashed car and all the debris. Anthoine Hubert, who was right behind Boschung, made contact with him due to the speed difference, eventually losing control and hitting the wall on the right hard.

---

Charles Leclerc happy to have Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin as F1 championship contenders

Charles Leclerc recently expressed that he's happy to see Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin make huge improvements and look like a top team. He explained how a close grid with most teams and drivers that are equally capable of fighting for the championship will not only make the sport more exciting, but will also push drivers to improve and avoid mistakes. The Ferrari driver said:

"I mean, I would welcome anyone really. I would love for us to have a championship where all ten teams are fighting, or at least have a chance to fight for a win at one point and that are very, very closely matched."

It's clear that Aston Martin will be putting up a challenge for Mercedes and even Ferrari and Red Bull if they continue to improve throughout the season.