Charles Leclerc shared a deeply personal story about a ‘white lie’ he told his father, Hervé, just days before his death. Leclerc revealed that he told his father he had signed an F1 contract, although it wasn’t true at the time.
In 2017, Leclerc lost his father, Hervé, who passed away at the age of 54 after a long illness. At the time, Leclerc was making a name for himself in the junior racing categories. In the days leading up to his father’s death, Leclerc, despite not having officially signed an F1 contract, told his father that he did. A month later, the statement became reality when Leclerc signed with Sauber for his first season in Formula 1, and was subsequently promoted to Ferrari the following year.
Leclerc honored his father after achieving his first victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, an event that was a shared dream for both of them. Reflecting on the ‘white lie’ during a podcast with Jay Shetty, Leclerc expressed how he believed his father would be immensely proud of his journey: ‘I think he would be extremely proud,’ he said. ‘Because he passed away a year before I got into Formula 1, it was very difficult. I unfortunately hadn’t signed my Formula 1 contract, which was the ultimate goal for our family.’
On the podcast, Leclerc explained that he felt compelled to tell this ‘white lie’ because his father was nearing the end of his life: ‘I lied to him two days before he passed away and I told him,
Listen, I signed my Formula 1 contract.
Leclerc also remembered how his mother reacted to this: ‘I remember that night, I said it to my mum and my mum was pretty angry with me, telling me
you shouldn’t lie to your father
– and that stayed in me for months.’,’Coping with his father’s death was challenging for Leclerc, but when he eventually signed the F1 contract, it brought him some peace: ‘Luckily, I signed my contract a month later. He wasn’t here anymore, and then I found much more peace within myself because I told myself,
Okay, I didn’t lie to my father. I told him the truth, I anticipated things, everything is okay.
That was a really good moment because, as I said, Formula 1 is really the goal for every driver.’,’He also expressed how important it was for him to fulfill this dream not only for himself but also to not carry this ‘white lie’ with him through life: ‘I think I would have lived so badly with a lie like this for the rest of my life, so I’m happy I did everything for it to happen. It happened.’ Leclerc acknowledged the sacrifices his father made to help him achieve his racing dreams.’,”He also sacrificed a lot for me.’, Leclerc said, sharing memories of how his father supported his expensive motorsport aspirations.’,’He, on the other hand, sacrificed a lot because motorsport is unfortunately a very expensive sport. He had to do saving for me to be able to do what I love most which was driving, and I was aware of that – and also the fact that obviously he couldn’t see my mum that much because he was always with me on races. So I think he made many more sacrifices than I did, because for me it was always pure pleasure.
Leclerc’s emotional reflections underscore the deep bond he shared with his father and the lengths he went to honor his memory while chasing his dreams.
Leclerc’s story is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by loved ones and the emotional motivations behind even the smallest actions. His father’s belief in him fueled his journey to Formula 1, marking every victory with a blend of triumph and heartfelt remembrance.
Source: Planetf1
