Charles Leclerc told an emotional story about a conversation with his father shortly before his death.
Hervé Leclerc died in 2017 while his talented son was on his way to winning the Formula 2 title.
Their shared dream was that Charles would win a place in Formula 1.
Charles falsely told his father that he had signed an F1 contract shortly before Herve’s death.
“I knew how much it meant to us and we had been on the whole journey together,” Charles told the Gentleman’s Journal.
“It was very difficult for me to accept that he was leaving before I had actually signed my first F1 contract.
“At first I was really angry with myself for lying to him, but then luckily I signed the actual contract right after he left.
“I achieved my dream, but at the end of the day I was also very happy that I didn’t lie to him.”
Today, Leclerc is a Grand Prix winner among Ferrari drivers and dreams of the championship. This season he won his home race in Monaco for the first time.
But his F1 journey began alongside his father.
He recalled another story from his childhood: “I lied to my father that I was feeling unwell. I told him I was sick, but that wasn’t true, I just didn’t want to go to school and he believed me, so he had to keep me with him.
“By chance, he had to visit his best friend Philippe Bianchi, who at the time ran a kart track an hour and a half outside of Monaco, and I went with him.”
This was Leclerc’s first experience in karting.
“From that moment on, I knew I wanted to do this,” he said.
Charles remembers: “My father did absolutely everything and showed me all the steps I had to take to get into Formula 1.
“He was so passionate and obviously wanted the best for me. And once he saw that I liked it – and that was his priority – he made sure he gave me the right advice to be successful in this sport.”
Charles has of course lost someone else who played a crucial role in his F1 career and his life: Jules Bianchi, a fellow driver and Charles’ godfather.
“He was actually the son of my dad’s best friend who was running the go-kart track the day I first tried it,” Charles said.
“He helped me in my career until his unfortunate accident in Japan in 2014.”
Jules Bianchi died in 2015 at the age of 25 from injuries sustained at the 2014 Japanese Formula One Grand Prix.
Current drivers regularly pay tribute to him, including, of course, his godson Charles Leclerc.
“The people I lost were the ones who wanted the best for me and whenever I asked myself the question ‘What do they expect from me?’ the answer came pretty quickly that my dad would have just wanted me to put on the helmet and win races,” Charles added.
“You can mentally prepare yourself for many things, especially in my professional life, for example to stay focused and relaxed in tense situations.
“But nothing really prepares you for a very difficult personal moment that you have to go through.”
