Charles Leclerc has opened up about his bond with the late F1 driver and his godfather, Jules Bianchi, on the 10th anniversary of his death.
The driver passed away at the age of 25 in 2025 after sustaining severe injuries to his head and spinal cord during the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix after he collided with a mobile crane.
Growing up, Jules was a close pal with Charles' older brother and was honoured as godfather to the now Ferrari driver.
Jules was also around when Charles first began dabbling in kart racing, which eventually led to his F1 career.
On Thursday, July 17, the F1 official Instagram account posted a heartfelt tribute video for the late driver, using Charles' emotional interview as the audio.
Charles told F1.com, "The first memories that I recall of Jules are not of Jules the driver, but rather Jules the person, as I experienced him a lot more as a human being rather than a racer."
The 27-year-old driver also reshared the social media post with text that read, "We miss you (red heart emoji)."
Crediting his own competitive nature to the driver, he admitted, "Jules was the most competitive person I've ever met and I feel like I have that competitiveness in me because of Jules."
The Nice-raised driver and the member of Ferrari Driver Academy, never got the chance to drive for a top team in Formula 1, missing a chance to fully showcase his potential as a driver.
"Jules was an extremely talented driver, who unfortunately never had the chance to be in a top team with a car that was helping him to show the extent of his talent," Leclerc said solemnly.
Expressing his admiration for Jules, Charles also highlighted his kindness and dedication, portraying Jules as more than just a driver.
