Charles Leclerc: Childhood, Early Struggles and Relationship with Jules Bianchi

Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc is undoubtedly the next Ferrari ace. However, there were a lot of factors that helped shaped the youngster into the top driver that he is today. Admittedly, he grew fond of racing from a very young age and his father, Herve was very supportive.

Soon, Charles Leclerc became very interested in karting, and Herve was only too happy to fuel his son’s ambition. The middle Leclerc’s karting career began in 2005 and ran until 2010. Once there, he began to dominate most of the classes that he raced in. His first big break came in 2011 when Nicholas Todt, FIA President Jean Todt’s son, elected to sponsor him.

In 2014, Leclerc graduated to Formula Renault and steadily rose through the ranks. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when his good friend and godfather, Jules Bianchi passed away. Then, three years later, father Herve also passed away and Charles dedicated his Azerbaijan pole position and a win to him.

What else is there to know about Charles Leclerc?

As mentioned before, the late Jules Bianchi was Leclerc’s godfather. The two got along extremely well and Leclerc even felt that Bianchi deserved the Ferrari seat more than he did. The Leclerc and Bianchi families have always shared a good relationship.

Soon, young Charles followed in Bianchi’s footsteps when he joined a Philippe Bianchi-owned kart track. It was at that track that Charles Leclerc discovered the need for speed.

Now, several years down the line, Charles Leclerc is a full-fledged Ferrari driver and its next superstar. However, he will always remember his father and godfather and their influence in his racing career. The Monegasque driver is surely looking forward to the 2020 season finally kicking off and challenging Mercedes. So, he and Sebastian Vettel have one last chance to break Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s winning streak, as teammates.