Ten years on, Charles Leclerc honors Jules Bianchi: 'I have that competitiveness in me because of him'
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His godson and close friend Charles Leclerc has paid him a touching tribute on his 10th death anniversary, calling him the most competitive person he has ever met.
Remembering Jules Bianchi on his 10th death anniversary
Footage of Jules Bianchi's racing days was shared by Formula 1's official social media, with Charles Leclerc providing the voiceover. He spoke about how Bianchi gave his absolute maximum in everything he did but never had a car that could fully showcase his talent.
Reacting to the video, a fan wrote, 'I truly can't believe it's been 10 years. He would have been a champion by now for sure. It's odd to think how different F1 would be now if he were still here. #JB17 always missed.' Another said, 'Hearing these heartfelt words from Charles makes me cry — he's surely following Jules' dream.'
Pointing out the absence of the Halo safety device before 2018, a fan wrote, 'If only they had invented Halo a few years earlier…'
Jules Bianchi's tragic accident during Japanese Grand Prix
The Halo was introduced and made compulsory only after accidents like that of Jules Bianchi, who lost his life at just 25 years old during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit.
He lost control of his car while yellow flags were out and a damaged car was being removed by a crane and a wheel loader. He ended up crashing at the site. The race took place in poor weather conditions, as a typhoon had hit Tokyo.
Charles Leclerc recalls his childhood days with Jules Bianchi
Charles Leclerc also penned a tribute for Formula1.com, in which he revealed, 'I looked up to him, so to be racing with him, with my older brother, with his younger brother, and many, many other professional karting drivers at the time was incredible.'
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'We had so much fun. We would hang out and wait for the karting track to close to the public so we could get on. Then we'd go crazy on track for hours and hours. These are probably the most special memories I have. Jules was the most competitive person I've ever met, and I feel like I have that competitiveness in me because of Jules,' he added.
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Charles Leclerc currently drives for Ferrari and has shared some of his best childhood memories with Bianchi. Many other racing drivers also shared posts on social media in his memory.
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