Charles Leclerc is a 24-year-old Monégasque Formula 1 driver who currently races for Ferrari. Since the 1950s, F1 has been watched by millions worldwide, with several people even betting on the races. The excitement of these races is one reason why the gambling market is so huge when it comes to all types of sports, just as it is in the casino scenery with all games, ranging from popular slots games like Big Bass Bonanza, to more traditional games, such as blackjack, roulette, etc. However, the popularity of the F1 competition doesn’t stop there. From movies and video games related to the competition, all the way to websites, magazines, and books, F1’s fanbase is huge. Without a doubt, the Ferrari team has a lot to do with this huge popularity, and Leclerc seems to have the potential to continue the team’s legacy. So let’s take a look at a few interesting facts about Leclerc, besides him being a fantastic racer. Read on to find out below.
Leclerc’s Favourite Tracks
Leclerc’s favourite tracks to race are city tracks. Being from Monaco, you would think his number one favourite track would be Circuit de Monaco. However, while this is in his top five favourites to race on, in an interview with Tom Clarkson, he said his choice is Macau, followed by Monaco, Baku, Singapore and Norisring. The first four tracks are street circuits, which closed public roads to create the courses. Since these tracks are designed primarily for road vehicles, they are notoriously challenging. Despite the difficulty, Leclerc enjoys it because it leaves no room for error.
Charles Leclerc’s Love Life
Charles Leclerc is currently dating the daughter of successful businessman Emmanuel Siné, Charlotte Siné. Like Charles Leclerc, she is a Monegasque resident as well as an architecture student. With an interest in fashion, the 22-year-old has designed jewellery and has quite a following on Instagram. Traveling is one of her greatest passions; she speaks English, French and Italian fluently.
A few years before he started dating Charlotte Siné, Charles Leclerc had another girlfriend, Giada Gianni, a 22-year-old Italian Instagram model with whom he had become close through a mutual friend. While they started dating back in 2015, the couple separated in 2019 due to his Ferrari racing commitments.
Leclerc’s Relationship With Jules Bianchi
Leclerc had his first experience with driving at a race kart track with childhood friend Jules Bianchi. While unrelated, they had an essential relationship as Bianchi was Leclerc’s godfather. As a mentor and inspiration to Leclerc, Jules Bianchi served as a significant influence until he suffered a fatal accident in 2014 at the Japanese Grand Prix that left him comatose for close to a year and died in July 2015. To honour Bianchi, Leclerc wore a tribute helmet at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix featuring Bianchi’s helmet design on one side and the other showcasing his father’s racing helmet.
Leclerc on social media
Regarding social media, Leclerc is one of the most followed Formula 1 drivers. He currently has 8.2 million followers on Instagram, and fans can enjoy a glimpse into his personal life, training routines and, of course, his F1 achievements. Having a following of 2 million on Twitter, he is ranked 7th in the most popular list of F1 drivers. He has 2113 tweets on his Twitter account, most of which revolve around his Formula One career. These numbers will no doubt grow as his career does, with many interested in his life off the tracks.
Leclerc and Number 16
There are often stories and reasons behind the race number selected by professional driers, and Charles Leclerc’s choice is no different. In addition to racing as number 7 during his professional career before entering Formula One, Charles Leclerc said that 7 is his favourite number since his birthday is on the 16th of October (1 + 6 = 7).
When Charles Leclerc began his Formula One career, however, both the number 7 and the number 77 were taken by other drivers. His third choice was 10, but that too was already taken by F1 driver Pierre Gasly. Due to this, Leclerc decided to go with number 16, the date of his birth.
Charles Leclerc Has Always Been a Star
Undoubtedly, Charles Leclerc is a rising star in the Formula 1 world. During his first year as a professional racer, Charles Leclerc competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps, winning the Junior Championship and finishing second in the overall standings. In 2016, at age 19, he was inducted into the Ferrari Driver Academy and was contacted by Haas to join their team at the British Grand Prix. He won multiple Rookie of the Year awards before his Formula 1 victory at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix and made history by being the first Monégasque driver to win a Formula One race.
Leclerc’s Relationship with Pierre Gasly
Despite Leclerc not having any enemies and appearing to be friendly with other rookies, his relationship with Pierre Gasly is unparalleled. It is believed that these two have known one another since they were aged five or six and that they have been racing together since a time when they were still kart racing. Both families have been close since they were children; they’ve gone on family vacations together and raced together since they were young.
Conclusion
Charles Leclerc is a true talent. After recently extending his contract with Ferrari until 2024, along with his increased presence on social media platforms and endorsements, it suggests that we can expect more to come from this 24-year-old F1 driver in the coming years.