“Sweet” Charles Leclerc Saves the Day for Ferrari as the Italian Giants Disrespect F1 Legend With Unexpected Tribute

Charles Leclerc is among the few liked by all kinds of drivers on the grid. His boyish charm has worked on many and earned him plenty of fans, despite his Ferrari misery. Most fans are in agreement his Ferrari misery is mainly stemming from the errors by the Italian team. In fact, even before the start of the Canadian GP, the Maranello outfit made another grave error. However, the Monegasque saved the day for Ferrari yet again.

The grave error made by Ferrari was their misguided tribute to the former driver, world champion, and legend Gilles Villeneuve. The Maranello outfit designed Leclerc’s helmet for the weekend with a tribute to the late Canadian without informing or consulting his family. Gilles’s son Jacques came across the homage during FP1 and quickly expressed his grief to Leclerc. This is when Leclerc sprung to save the day for Ferrari, as revealed by Motorsport.

Speaking to Motorsport, Jacques first expressed his disbelief. He said, “It was just a big surprise to see the helmet yesterday because nobody had called the family. So that was just a big shock.” However, once the air was cleared, there were no hard feelings. “But then I chat with Charles and he said, ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t think about it.’ And then I think he talked with my sister and everything seems to be clean there,” he added.

Jacques’ sister Melanie seconded her brother’s comments. “Charles was very sweet about it,” said Melanie.”We have no objections. It’s a nice tribute.”

Read More: Charles Leclerc Compared to F1 Legend Gilles Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher by Ferrari Boss

The Monegasque got a rare opportunity last year to commemorate the legend’s 40th death anniversary. In 2023, the tribute was a nice touch and their heart was in the right place but the execution was flawed. Let us use the comments of the son and former F1 driver Jacques to explain the problem.

Jacques Villeneuve explains why Charles Leclerc was in the wrong in the first place

There are millions of investors and eyes that Formula 1 attracts now. This amplifies every little aspect of the sport, even a name or a photo on a helmet of a driver. This was exactly the problem with Leclerc’s helmet homage to Gilles Villeneuve. The late legend is a legal entity that is managed by his family. Using his name without permission could land anyone in legal trouble. So when Ferrari did so without the permission of the family, it shocked the Villeneuve family.

“So it was just the way of doing things, you just check with the people involved first. That’s all. So it’s not a huge issue. But it was done without any of us knowing, which was a big surprise. People don’t realise you have to think about the trademark. If you take a brand and you just link to anything you’ll have their lawyers on your back,” explained Jacques.

WATCH THIS STORY: Charles Leclerc Thanks his Loyal Fans for $380,000 Contribution to a Noble Cause

This scenario captures the high stakes that run in Formula 1 now. Every little aspect of the sport has huge repercussions now. However, all’s well that ends well, and a heartwarming tribute to an ex-Ferrari legend finds itself in a good place now.