One Unknown Kid Crowned Ferrari F1 Hero Charles Leclerc With His Iconic Nickname

Just like many other drivers in Formula 1, Charles Leclerc has a nickname. It is ‘il Predestinato’. Most drivers get their nicknames from fans during their time in F1. Charles, however, got his from an F1 commentator back when he was just 15. Carlo Vanzini, the man who gave Charles the name, recently revealed when and why he did that.

Charles Leclerc is, without a doubt, a phenomenal talent on the F1 grid. He is the only driver who matched Max Verstappen this year when he won 2 races from the first 3 fixtures. The Monegasque built a gulf of 46 points between him and Max, which was later lost because Ferrari messed up in strategy time and again.

The Story behind Charles Leclerc receiving the nickname ‘il Predestinato’

A 15-year-old Charles Leclerc was brought into Sky Sports’ studio for media training. In an interview simulation, commentator Carlo Vanzini asked him what he would do if he was in a pole position and his teammate was racing for the championship. Young Charles replied, “I race to win.”

Vanzini told him to give a more diplomatic answer in such situations. What Charles said after that is what made Carlo give him the nickname which means ‘The Predestined’.

Vanzini said, “this boy came up to me later and told me the question I had asked was fundamentally wrong because ‘there is no way my team-mate will be the one fighting for the championship and not me.'”

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The Ferrari driver showed his winning attitude at a very young age. One would say the incident was a foreshadowing of what was to come. This is because Charles is the Ferrari driver who challenged Max Verstappen for the championship this season and not his partner Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc thanks the team for the perfectly executed plan in Abu Dhabi

Ferrari ran out of steam mid-season to challenge for the championship. However, Charles Leclerc was in the hunt for the runner-up spot. Going into the final race of the season, Ferrari knew they might not be able to beat Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on pace. A clever strategy was their only chance. Therefore, they gave the impression on the team radio that Charles was on a two-stop strategy while he was not.

Red Bull took the bait and brought Checo in for a tire change while Leclerc stayed out and eventually won the race by 1.3 seconds. Leclerc later told Sky Sports, “That’s what was planned before. The laps where, I can say it now, where we dummied him and made him think that we were going to pit opposite. He took it and went for the second stop.”

“So we did everything perfect. I’m very proud of our execution.”

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What do you think of Leclerc’s nickname origin story?