162-612: Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc ( French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl ləklɛʁ] ; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver , currently competing in Formula One for Ferrari . Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2022 with Ferrari, and has won eight Grands Prix across seven seasons. Born and raised in Monte Carlo , Leclerc began competitive kart racing aged seven. After
324-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
486-618: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
648-494: A "shining talent". The Grand Prix Drivers' Association announced that it felt a responsibility "to never relent in improving safety". FIA President Jean Todt also announced that race number 17 would be retired from the list of those available for Formula One drivers, as a mark of respect. In paying his respects, Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo also stated that, owing to his GP2 experience, strong performances with Marussia and test sessions with Ferrari, Bianchi
810-463: A Safety Car period. The crash caused a red flag. Starting from round 12 at Portimão, Leclerc went on to take three consecutive top-5 finishes. At the rain-hit Turkish Grand Prix , Leclerc was running in third place after producing a comeback from 14th on the intermediate tyres. However, a mistake while attempting to pass Sergio Pérez for second on the final lap resulted in Leclerc running wide and losing
972-665: A brake failure in the closing laps, colliding into the back of Brendon Hartley and forcing both cars into retirement. Three consecutive points finishes followed before a run of five races without points. This run included three retirements; a loose wheel in Britain , suspension damage after colliding with Sergio Pérez in Hungary , and a multi-car accident in Belgium caused by Nico Hülkenberg which resulted in Fernando Alonso being launched over
1134-532: A consequence of no significant progress and the lapse of time since the accident. Bianchi died on 17 July 2015, aged 25, from injuries sustained at the time of his accident in Suzuka nine months earlier, where he lost control of his Marussia MR03 in very wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle , suffering a diffuse axonal injury . He underwent emergency surgery and was placed into an induced coma , remaining comatose until his death. His death made him
1296-514: A controversial collision with teammate Vettel caused Leclerc's third retirement of the season in Brazil , ending both drivers' races. Leclerc ended the season with a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi . Leclerc ended the 2019 season in fourth place in the championship with 264 points, ahead of teammate Vettel. During his first season at Ferrari, he recorded ten podium finishes, two wins, four fastest laps, and
1458-600: A critical but stable condition, and required a medical ventilator . He was taken out of his artificial coma in November 2014 and began breathing unaided, making his relocation to France for admission at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU) possible. There, Bianchi remained unconscious and in a critical condition but more accessible to his family for their daily vigil. On 13 July 2015, Bianchi's father publicly conceded becoming "less optimistic" as
1620-495: A crumple zone". At the inaugural Russian Grand Prix , one week after the accident, Marussia originally registered Alexander Rossi in place of the hospitalised Bianchi, before finally deciding to field only a single car driven by Max Chilton . There were several tributes at the race to show support for Bianchi: The day after the Japanese Grand Prix , then-outgoing Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo , disclosed to
1782-410: A distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
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#17330852126781944-563: A drag race which they constantly were pushing each other until Leclerc finally took the lead and won by 1.293 seconds, his final victory in his last F2 race. In 2016, Leclerc joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and he acted as development driver for Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari . As part of his role as development driver, Leclerc participated in the first practice session of the British and German Grands Prix driving for Haas . It
2106-479: A driveshaft issue on his way to the grid. He qualified for back-to-back poles during Qualifying for the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ., later finishing fourth. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone , Leclerc qualified fourth but inherited the lead of the race on lap 1, passing Valtteri Bottas at the start and taking advantage of a collision between title rivals Verstappen and Hamilton . Leclerc held on to
2268-505: A first-lap collision with Max Verstappen. He would go on to finish the race in sixth place, his worst finish of the season. Leclerc took his seventh pole position of the year in Mexico after Verstappen—who had qualified in first place—was handed a grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement. He went on to finish the race in fourth place. After another fourth-place finish in the United States ,
2430-569: A fourth consecutive pole in Azerbaijan , which he dedicated to his late father, Hervé. He converted this into another win, although the race was red-flagged five laps before the scheduled end. In the sprint race, he started from eighth, and dropped to tenth early on, but fought back to sixth. The retirement of the race leader, his title rival Oliver Rowland , and De Vries, who was also ahead of Leclerc, meant Leclerc improved to fourth. He then passed Nicholas Latifi and Jordan King , and began to close on
2592-535: A gap Leclerc's tyres were "overheated badly" with several laps still to run, yet despite his tyres being "completely gone" by the end Leclerc managed to hold off a charging Rowland by 0.23 seconds, and claim the FIA Formula 2 championship in his rookie season in the main F1 feeder series. In claiming the championship, Leclerc became the youngest ever champion of the main support series for Formula 1 at 19 years, 356 days old, and
2754-705: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
2916-693: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
3078-483: A lap time in the final qualifying session. In what turned out to be a sensational rain-hit race, he made his way up to fourth in the early laps. A questionable tactic by his team's strategists of installing soft tyres despite the track being too wet culminated in him losing control and crashing into the barriers on lap 29, leading to his second retirement of the season. At the Hungarian Grand Prix , Leclerc suffered
3240-503: A mistake. At the Hungarian Grand Prix he qualified third behind his teammate but finished the race sixth after a strategic error made by Ferrari to place him on the hard compound tyres, despite other drivers such as Fernando Alonso losing significant lap time on them, Max Verstappen eventually took the win despite qualifying tenth and extended his lead in the Formula One World Championship to Leclerc by 80 points. After
3402-629: A month later. His older brother, Lorenzo, was best friends with Jules Bianchi , who was Leclerc's godfather until his death in 2015 . His younger brother, Arthur, is also a racing driver who has competed in open-wheel and sportscar racing , winning the Formula Regional Asian Championship in 2022 . Leclerc is trilingual, fluent in French, Italian, and English. Although the French pronunciation of his name uses silent final consonants, he has stated that when speaking English he often uses
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#17330852126783564-472: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
3726-515: A new track record, and becoming the youngest Ferrari pole-sitter. Leclerc led for the majority of the race, but lost the lead and was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas due to his engine dropping a cylinder with a failed fuel injector. A late-race safety car prevented the charging Max Verstappen from taking third place, leading to the first podium of Leclerc's Formula One career. In China , Leclerc qualified fourth behind his teammate, Sebastian Vettel . After overtaking Vettel during
3888-450: A practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England,
4050-484: A quickest lap time of 1:00.213. For the 2012 season , Ferrari loaned him to the Sahara Force India team, for whom he drove in nine Friday free practice sessions over the course of the year as the outfit's test and reserve driver. On 1 March 2013, Marussia announced that Bianchi was to replace Luiz Razia as a race driver after Razia's contract was terminated, due to sponsorship issues. Bianchi qualified 19th for
4212-517: A rear-end crash in qualifying but still completed the session. He ultimately finished the race in fourth place. At the first race after the summer break, the Belgian Grand Prix , Leclerc took his third pole position of the season alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel in second—the second Ferrari front-row lockout of the season. During the race, Leclerc fended off the charging Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to record his maiden Grand Prix win, making him
4374-419: A recovery vehicle on the circuit. The report also made several suggestions to improve safety when recovering stricken vehicles — which were subsequently introduced for the 2015 season — before concluding that it would not have been possible to mitigate Bianchi's injuries through changes to the cockpit design. The report also revealed that Bianchi pressed both the throttle and brake which should shut off power to
4536-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
4698-512: A successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the junior direct-drive Karting World Cup in 2011—Leclerc graduated to junior formulae . He won his first championship at the 2016 GP3 Series with ART . Leclerc then won the inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017 with Prema , becoming the fourth driver to win the GP2 / Formula 2 championship in their rookie season. Leclerc made his Formula One debut in 2018 with Sauber as part of
4860-445: A warning after it was clear he had been in contact with people not included in his bubble. In the qualifying session for the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix , he ended up 11th fastest in a full wet session and was knocked out in Q2. He was demoted to 14th after receiving a three-place penalty for impeding Daniil Kvyat in the session. In the race, Leclerc collided with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel on
5022-788: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
Charles Leclerc - Misplaced Pages Continue
5184-448: Is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were
5346-627: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
5508-640: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
5670-594: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
5832-553: Is set to remain at Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season. Outside of motor racing, Leclerc collaborated with pianist Sofiane Pamart on the extended play Dreamers (2024), which peaked at number two on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc was born on 16 October 1997 in Monte Carlo , Monaco . Leclerc grew up as the middle child between older half-brother Lorenzo and younger brother Arthur . His father, Hervé Leclerc,
5994-870: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
6156-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
6318-622: The 2008 Masters of Formula 3 , Bianchi won the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2009 with ART . He then progressed to the GP2 Series , finishing third in both 2010 and 2011 . Bianchi then finished runner-up to Robin Frijns in the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series . A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2009, Bianchi was a test driver for Ferrari in 2011 and a reserve driver for Force India in 2012 . Bianchi signed for Marussia in 2013 alongside Max Chilton , making his Formula One debut at
6480-586: The 2021 season, Leclerc extended his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2024. Leclerc had a new teammate at Ferrari for 2021 with Carlos Sainz Jr. replacing Sebastian Vettel, who signed for Aston Martin . Leclerc started the Bahrain Grand Prix in fourth behind Valtteri Bottas and finished sixth. He then started fourth and also finished fourth at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix behind Lando Norris after struggling to keep his pace after
6642-434: The 2021 Russian Grand Prix and started from 19th. He was in the top 5 at one point but fell to fifteenth by the end of the race after heavy rain fell and he was the last to pit for intermediate tyres. In Turkey , Leclerc would qualify fourth, but would start third after engine penalties for Lewis Hamilton . In Abu Dhabi , a decision to pit under a virtual safety car proved to be the wrong one as Leclerc failed to make up for
Charles Leclerc - Misplaced Pages Continue
6804-656: The 2022 World Drivers' Championship . Following five pole positions and six podiums in his 2023 campaign, Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2024 , becoming the first Monégasque driver to win the race in 93 years ; he achieved further victories in Italy and the United States As of the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix , Leclerc has achieved eight race wins, 26 pole positions, 10 fastest laps and 42 podiums in Formula One. Leclerc
6966-656: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
7128-620: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
7290-649: The Australian Grand Prix , out-qualifying team-mate Max Chilton by three-quarters of a second. Bianchi overtook Pastor Maldonado , and Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap and he eventually finished 15th on his debut. He was 19th on the grid again in Malaysia, 0.3 seconds away from Q2. Bianchi fell behind the Caterhams at the start of the race, but moved up the order after the pit stops, eventually going on to finish 13th, ahead of his teammate, and both Caterhams . As of
7452-463: The Australian Grand Prix . Leclerc scored his and Ferrari's first pole position of the 2023 season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , though he failed to convert it to a victory as Sergio Pérez took victory in both the sprint and main race. However, he was on the podium during both races. Racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing )
7614-453: The Australian Grand Prix . Retaining his seat for 2014 , Bianchi scored his first championship points at the Monaco Grand Prix —finishing ninth after starting 21st on the grid—earning widespread acclaim from drivers and pundits. During the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix , Bianchi lost control of his Marussia MR03 in very wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle , suffering a diffuse axonal injury . He underwent emergency surgery and
7776-523: The Austrian Grand Prix , he qualified on pole position, the second pole of his Formula One career. He subsequently finished second after colliding with Red Bull's Max Verstappen , having led for the major part of the race. The incident was investigated by the stewards after the race, who deemed it a racing incident and decided against taking action. At the British Grand Prix , Leclerc qualified in third ahead of Max Verstappen . He eventually finished
7938-650: The Brazilian Grand Prix , where the location of a tractor crane serving the Senna S chicane was altered. The FIA released its initial findings at a special conference held during the inaugural Russian Grand Prix on the Saturday after the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. Among other things, it was revealed that Bianchi had slowed down at Suzuka's Turn 7 but without disclosing by what margin or the speed of impact, and that
8100-533: The Canadian Grand Prix due to a grid penalty for exceeding his allocation for power unit components; he went on to finish the race in fifth. At the British Grand Prix , Leclerc finished fourth after losing out on pit strategy to his teammate. Leclerc then took first place at the Austrian Grand Prix . At the French Grand Prix he took pole position before crashing out of the race on lap 18, after making
8262-567: The FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing . At the opening round of the season in Silverstone , Leclerc inherited pole position for the second and third races of the weekend after original pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist was excluded for a technical infringement. He went on to take his first race victory in the third race of the weekend, ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi and Jake Dennis . He took his second victory at
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#17330852126788424-657: The Ferrari Driver Academy , scoring 10 points finishes in the C37 . He joined Ferrari for the 2019 season to partner Sebastian Vettel , and became the second-youngest driver to qualify on pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix . Leclerc took his maiden career win in Belgium , before ending Ferrari's record nine-year drought at the Italian Grand Prix , which saw him nicknamed " il Predestinato " in Italian media. After winless seasons for Ferrari in 2020 and 2021 , Leclerc took several victories and finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in
8586-485: The Ferrari SF70H . He was the fastest on the first day of the test, running 98 laps in the process and he did not take part in the second day's test. Kimi Räikkönen also praised Leclerc saying "It's not easy to do well in a different car from what you normally drive. But Leclerc has shown great progress, and for sure he will do great things in the future". For the 2018 Formula One World Championship , Leclerc signed for
8748-533: The Formula One World Championship he pitted for soft tyres, the fastest compound tyres, to get the fastest lap point but could not beat Verstappen's time of 1:49.354. Leclerc finished in 5th place in front of Fernando Alonso but suffered a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, consequently finishing in 6th place. At the Dutch Grand Prix , he admitted that he had 'stopped counting'
8910-692: The Formula Renault Eurocup where he had one pole position and one fastest lap in three races. In late 2007, Bianchi signed with ART Grand Prix to compete in the Formula 3 Euro Series . In 2008 Bianchi won the Masters of Formula 3 at Zolder , and also finished third in the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series season . Bianchi continued in the F3 Euroseries in 2009 , leading ART's line-up along with rookie team-mates Valtteri Bottas , Esteban Gutiérrez and Adrien Tambay . With eight wins, Bianchi sealed
9072-431: The Hungarian Grand Prix , Bianchi had beaten his teammate in all qualifying sessions and all races that both of them had finished. In the Japanese Grand Prix he and Charles Pic of Caterham were given ten-place grid penalties for receiving three reprimands over the season, and at the race, his race ended early after a collision with Giedo van der Garde . In October 2013, Marussia confirmed that Bianchi would stay at
9234-779: The KF2 category in 2012 with the factory-backed ART Grand Prix team, winning the WSK Euro Series title, as well as finishing runner-up in the CIK-FIA European KF2 Championship and the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Karting Championship. In his final year of karting in 2013, Leclerc won the South Garda Winter Cup and claimed sixth position in the CIK-FIA European KZ Championship and finished second in
9396-469: The Macau Grand Prix . In December 2015, Leclerc partook in post-season testing with ART Grand Prix and Arden International . In February 2016, de Vries confirmed that Leclerc would race in the 2016 GP3 season . ART signed Leclerc the following week. With the team, he claimed three victories and took the title in his first year of the series, despite crashing out in the feature race of the season's final race in Abu Dhabi. The week following his victory in
9558-464: The Sauber F1 Team as a race driver, replacing Pascal Wehrlein and alongside Marcus Ericsson . This marked the first appearance of a Monégasque Formula One driver since Olivier Beretta in 1994 . At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , a sixth-place finish saw him become the second Monégasque driver to score points in Formula One after Louis Chiron , who finished third at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix . At his first home race in Formula One, Leclerc suffered
9720-404: The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix , Leclerc took a ten-place grid penalty after a new set of control electronics was installed on his car in breach of the allowed quota for the season. Starting from 12th on the grid, Leclerc was able to recover to a seventh-place finish behind his teammate Carlos Sainz . Leclerc retired for the second time in three races following a lap 1 collision with Lance Stroll at
9882-404: The United States Grand Prix . The team's financial backer, Andrei Cheglakov, later revealed that Bianchi's crash was a key factor in the Russian's decision to end his financial support of the team and quit Formula One. After the 2015 Australian Grand Prix in March, John Booth, now team principal of the newly established Manor Marussia F1 team , paid tribute to Bianchi's point performance at
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#173308521267810044-463: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
10206-518: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
10368-409: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
10530-411: The 2014 Monaco Grand Prix since the prize money won enabled the team to stay in Formula One. In addition, coinciding with the Monaco Grand Prix , Manor Marussia continued to show support for Bianchi with special red wristbands inscribed with "Monaco 2014 P8 JB17". Following Bianchi's accident, the FIA began an investigation and also considered appropriate changes to safety procedures, such as those at
10692-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
10854-403: The Anglicised pronunciation. He has said he "likes both", and that others using either pronunciation is acceptable to him. Leclerc has described his religious stance as "[believing] in God, but [not someone] who would pray or go to church." Since 2023, Leclerc has been in a relationship with Italian model and influencer Alexandra Saint Mleux. Leclerc began his karting career in 2005, winning
11016-417: The Belgian rounds, Leclerc again took pole and won the race by a convincing margin of over 20 seconds, however, his win was disqualified as one of his skid blocks was excessively worn. Having to start in 19th place, Leclerc got back up to fifth place and finished 3.8 seconds behind race winner Sérgio Sette Câmara . For the Italian feature race, Leclerc was battling for the lead; on the final lap, however, he
11178-410: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
11340-431: The CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, behind current Red Bull Formula One driver Max Verstappen . In 2014, Leclerc graduated to single-seaters , racing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championship for British team Fortec Motorsports . During the season, he took seven podium positions, including a double victory at Monza , to finish runner-up in the championship behind Koiranen GP 's Nyck de Vries . Leclerc also won
11502-409: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
11664-460: The FIA to investigate Bianchi's accident. One week later the FIA announced a review panel to investigate the cause of the accident, which was made up of former drivers and team principals, and published its findings four weeks later. The report found that there was no single cause of Bianchi's accident. Instead, the contributing factors were found to include track conditions, car speed and the presence of
11826-474: The FIA's World Accident Database (WADB)—which sources information from racing accidents worldwide—also indicate Bianchi's impact occurred 2.61 seconds after the loss of control, at a speed of 123 km/h (76 mph) and at an angle of 55 degrees. According to Andy Mellor, Vice President of the FIA Safety Commission, this is the equivalent of "dropping a car 48 metres (157 ft) to the ground without
11988-542: The Formula One World Championship. After a second-place finish in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix , Leclerc took a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix , achieving his first grand slam in Formula One, and Ferrari's first since the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix. At the Spanish Grand Prix , Leclerc led the race with a large margin until a power unit issue forced his retirement, handing Max Verstappen both
12150-857: The French PACA Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008. In 2009 he became French Cadet champion before moving up to the KF3 class in 2010, where he won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup . He continued in the KF3 class for 2011, winning the CIK - FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters. During the year, Leclerc also became a member of Nicolas Todt 's All Road Management company. Leclerc graduated to
12312-447: The GP3 title race, Charles Leclerc was confirmed to be graduating to the Formula 2 series for the 2017 season with Prema Racing , alongside fellow GP3 racer and Ferrari junior Antonio Fuoco . He made his debut at Bahrain , where he took pole position for the feature race, but only finished third. In the sprint race, his Prema team chose to take a mid-race pit stop, which is very uncommon in
12474-678: The Junior Championship title at the final race of the season in Jerez , finishing ahead of teenager Matevos Isaakyan . Leclerc also took part in a partial Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season with Fortec as a guest driver. In the six races he contested he finished on the podium three times, taking a second place at the Nürburgring followed by a pair of second-place finishes at the Hungaroring . Leclerc graduated to Formula Three in 2015, racing in
12636-755: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. Jules Bianchi Jules Lucien André Bianchi ( French pronunciation: [ʒyl bjɑ̃ki] ; 3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015)
12798-595: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
12960-493: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
13122-589: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
13284-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
13446-660: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
13608-499: The approaching Typhoon Phanfone and in fading daylight. On lap 42 of the scheduled 53-lap race, Adrian Sutil 's Sauber spun out of control and crashed in the run-off area on the outside of the Dunlop Curve (turn seven). On lap 43, Bianchi did not slow down enough to avoid losing control while approaching the double waved yellow flags near the Dunlop Curve, lost control of his car, and veered right – directly towards
13770-511: The championship with 39 points. Scuderia Ferrari signed Leclerc for the 2019 season, replacing 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen , who took his place at Sauber (which later rebranded to Alfa Romeo ). While initially only announced for 2019, a few days later, then-Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene indicated that Leclerc's contract was going to be four seasons long, running "at least until 2022." Leclerc made his first test day as an official Ferrari race driver in November 2018 during
13932-490: The circuit's medical centre. Since transport by helicopter was not possible due to poor weather conditions, Bianchi was further transported by ambulance, for 32 minutes under police escort. The destination was the nearest hospital, Mie Prefectural General Medical Center in Yokkaichi , which was 15 km (9.3 mi) away from the Suzuka circuit. Initial reports by his father to television channel France 3 , were that Bianchi
14094-604: The drivers' championship. In the main series , Bianchi finished third in the championship, behind Grosjean and Luca Filippi . Bianchi opted to switch to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series for 2012 , following his one-off appearance in the category in 2009 . He signed for the Tech 1 Racing team, and was partnered with Kevin Korjus , and later with Daniel Abt . He finished second in the title race, narrowly losing out to Robin Frijns at
14256-400: The end of season test. In his first Grand Prix driving for Ferrari, he started and finished in the fifth position at the Australian Grand Prix . In his second qualifying for Ferrari, at the Bahrain Grand Prix , he qualified on pole position for the first time in his Formula One career, having the fastest times in two of the three practice sessions and in all three qualifying sessions, setting
14418-1052: The end, as he has always done, but yesterday his battle ended. We feel an immense and indescribable pain. The funeral service was held at the Nice Cathedral , on 21 July 2015. He was subsequently cremated and his ashes rest at Monte Carlo Cemetery and partially floated into the Mediterranean Sea . Many current, former, and future drivers attended Bianchi's funeral, including Alexander Wurz , Esteban Gutiérrez , Allan McNish , Alexander Rossi , Lewis Hamilton , Charles Leclerc , Nico Rosberg , Jenson Button , Sebastian Vettel , Jean-Éric Vergne , Marcus Ericsson , Roberto Merhi , Adrian Sutil , Valtteri Bottas , Pastor Maldonado , Pedro de la Rosa , Romain Grosjean , Daniel Ricciardo , Felipe Massa , Alain Prost , Nico Hülkenberg , Olivier Panis , Daniil Kvyat , and Max Chilton . In May 2016 it
14580-501: The engine. However, Marussia's uniquely designed brake-by-wire system was found to be incompatible with the FailSafe so the engine was not shut off. Despite this, Marussia was not found to be responsible for the accident. For the 2015 season, on safety grounds, the FIA also implemented measures requiring that no race can start less than 4 hours before sunset or dusk, except in the case of official night races. The revised regulations affected
14742-470: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
14904-441: The feature race, Leclerc dominated most of the early stint on soft tyres and was able to overtake most of the runners on the alternate strategy. With seven laps to go, however, Nobuharu Matsushita collided with Santino Ferrucci , which brought out the safety car. At the point that the race resumed, Leclerc was misinformed over team radio that it was the "last lap" even though there were four laps to go, so after pushing hard to build
15066-668: The final restart. In the build-up to the Styrian Grand Prix weekend, Leclerc and Ferrari were investigated by the FIA after allegedly breaching the governing body's strict COVID-19 safety protocols after returning home to Monaco (with permission from his team) in between the Austrian and Styrian Grands Prix events with social media posts showing Leclerc socialising with fans, friends and his girlfriend. Leclerc initially denied any wrongdoing. However, Leclerc and Scuderia Ferrari were given
15228-486: The final round. In August 2009, Bianchi was linked by the BBC and various other media sources to the second Ferrari Formula One seat occupied by Luca Badoer during Felipe Massa 's absence. Bianchi tested for Ferrari at the young drivers test at Circuito de Jerez for two of the three days, over 1–2 December 2009. The other drivers tested on 3 December included Daniel Zampieri , Marco Zipoli and Pablo Sánchez López as
15390-541: The first Formula One driver to be killed by injuries sustained during a Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna in 1994 . In their official statement, Bianchi's family said: It is with deep sadness that the parents of Jules Bianchi, Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Mélanie, wish to make it known that Jules passed away last night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice. Jules fought to
15552-490: The first driver since Nico Hülkenberg in 2009 to win the championship in their rookie season (a feat which only Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have previously accomplished) and is the only driver to claim a championship with the Dallara GP2/11 chassis in their rookie season. For the sprint race, Leclerc started in eighth place, however, due to his car's aggressive setup, he and his teammate, Antonio Fuoco, had to pit in
15714-555: The first driver. Chilton retired twice, and Bianchi five times, with three of Bianchi's retirements being mechanical failures. Days before his fatal accident, Bianchi declared himself "ready" to step into the Scuderia Ferrari race seat should the team need him amid the looming departure of Fernando Alonso . The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was held at the Suzuka Circuit on 5 October, under intermittent heavy rainfall caused by
15876-516: The first half of the race before the team orchestrated an undercut in Leclerc's favour to let him retake the lead. Vettel retired from the race shortly after with a hybrid system failure, bringing out the virtual safety car . This greatly benefited the Mercedes drivers, who made their pit stops and eventually finished the race ahead of Leclerc in third. Leclerc qualified in second in Japan , but took damage in
16038-424: The first lap, causing them both to retire. Despite the fact the stewards took no action – viewing the collision as a racing incident and gave no penalties to either driver – Leclerc accepted full responsibility for the collision saying in one of his post-race interviews, "I've been a total asshole, today I fucked it up". At the next race, the Hungarian Grand Prix , Leclerc qualified sixth, one place behind Vettel. In
16200-536: The following round in Hockenheim , winning the third race as well as taking two additional podiums and three rookie victories over the course of the event. Leclerc scored his third win in the first race at Spa-Francorchamps which saw him take the lead in the championship. However, Leclerc finished fourth in the standings, mostly due to damage sustained to his car's chassis following a collision with Lance Stroll at Zandvoort . In November 2015, Leclerc finished second at
16362-537: The garage to save tyres, underestimating track evolution at the end of the qualifying session. He suffered a puncture and severe floor damage after a failed attempt to pass Nico Hülkenberg , leading to his second retirement at his home race. Leclerc qualified and finished third in Canada, his second podium finish, behind the controversial 1–2 finish of Hamilton and teammate Sebastian Vettel. He would finish third again in France . At
16524-515: The highest of the alternate strategy runners in Abu Dhabi (Soft then Super Soft) in fourth place (he had made it up till third until the final corner of the final lap where he was pipped by Antonio Fuoco). This position however was subsequently changed to second after the race winner, Oliver Rowland, and Fuoco were disqualified for excessive floor wear and under-inflated front tyres respectively. For Leclerc's final race, he started in seventh position. He
16686-421: The inaugural Russian Grand Prix), as well as Ferrari's team principal Marco Mattiacci and fellow driver Felipe Massa . Bianchi's parents arrived on 6 October and were joined, three days later, by their other children as well as Bianchi's best friend Lorenzo Leclerc, the older brother of his godson Charles . The family released a statement the next day, expressing appreciation for the outpouring of support from
16848-419: The journey to the hospital by ambulance took only an extra 37 minutes relative to the helicopter, without any adverse effects on Bianchi's condition. Further, the FIA confirmed ongoing research into closed cockpits for Formula One cars, the possibility of fitting protective skirting to all recovery vehicles as well as ways to slow down cars in crash zones more effectively than double yellow flags. With respect to
17010-763: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
17172-544: The latter, the FIA moved to quickly consider the introduction of a virtual safety car – or VSC system – which was then tested during the season's final three Grands Prix in the United States , Brazil and Abu Dhabi – based on a Le Mans racing " slow zone " arrangement that does not neutralise race proceedings as much as safety car periods. The following week, the FIA reportedly emailed all teams to request that they retain any information related to Bianchi's Suzuka accident, for exclusive use by an accident panel established by
17334-407: The lead of the race until 2 laps to go when he was ultimately caught and overtaken by Hamilton, finishing the race in second place and claiming his first and only podium of 2021. At the Hungarian Grand Prix , Leclerc was hit from the side by Lance Stroll on turn 1 and did not finish. In Italy , Leclerc finished in fifth, promoted to fourth after Sergio Pérez's penalty. Leclerc took grid penalties in
17496-579: The lost track position. This resulted in him finishing only tenth. Meanwhile, teammate Sainz finished third, moving him up to fifth in the drivers' standings and dropping Leclerc to seventh. This marked the first and only time Leclerc had been beaten by a teammate in his car racing career. Leclerc took pole in the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix , his tenth career F1 pole. He won the Grand Prix, his and Ferrari's first Formula 1 victory since 2019, battling closely with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen throughout
17658-500: The main series, Bianchi took two pole positions and a number of points positions before he was injured in a first-lap crash at the Hungaroring . In the feature race, he spun into the path of the field exiting the first corner, and was struck head-on by Ho-Pin Tung , sustaining a fractured second lumbar vertebra in the process. Bianchi was fourth in the drivers' championship at the time of his injury. Despite initial pessimistic assessments of
17820-472: The media that Bianchi had been poised to become the third Ferrari driver in 2015 in the event that the championship moved to three car teams, as had widely been speculated at the time. Following the Russian Grand Prix, Marussia's CEO Graeme Lowdon confirmed that the team would return to a two-car operation for the remainder of the season, however, the team entered administration prior to the next race,
17982-495: The most pole positions of any driver that season, with seven. He also became the first Monégasque to win a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix (although Louis Chiron had won several Grands Prix before the inaugural championship in 1950 ). Leclerc qualified seventh for the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix . The team struggled for pace in the race but due to the chaotic nature of the race recovered to finish second with Leclerc pulling off crucial overtaking manoeuvres on fresh tyres after
18144-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
18306-475: The new leader, Nato. He passed Nato, but had been given a ten-second penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags, and therefore finished second. In Austria he took his fifth pole position, and then won the feature race from pole despite coming under pressure from teammate Fuoco, and towards the end, the DAMS of Latifi. He would retire from the sprint race after colliding with Fuoco and spinning out. By taking pole for
18468-461: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
18630-506: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
18792-426: The opening events of the 2020 Formula One World Championship as part of the sports anti-racism campaign. He stated that he chose not to take a knee due to the negative political connotations he felt such a gesture could have. At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix he qualified thirteenth but in the race, he crashed out at Parabolica on lap 24, while he was in fourth, thanks to a pitstop earlier than others who pitted during
18954-613: The overall win at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans , before dying during Le Mans testing the following year. His favourite racing driver was Michael Schumacher . Bianchi's exposure to motorsport started at around 3 years of age through karting and was facilitated by the fact that his father owned a kart track. Since age 17, Bianchi was professionally managed by Nicolas Todt . In 2007, Bianchi left karting and raced in French Formula Renault 2.0 for SG Formula , where he finished as champion with five wins. He also competed in
19116-463: The podium to teammate Vettel. The doubleheader in Bahrain was rather forgettable for Leclerc, who finished tenth in the first race and retired after a first-lap collision with Pérez in the second. At the final round in Abu Dhabi, both Ferraris lacked pace and finished outside the points, with Leclerc in 13th ahead of Vettel. Leclerc finished the championship in eighth, scoring 98 points. At the beginning of
19278-502: The points deficit to Verstappen. He started 2nd and finished 3rd after losing his second-place position to Mercedes' George Russell . Leclerc took pole position at Ferrari's home race in Italy at the Monza Circuit , but due to a team decision from Ferrari to pit under a Virtual safety car , he lost the race lead to Red Bull's Max Verstappen and took the checkered flag in second place due to
19440-744: The public and for the presence of professor Gerard Saillant, president of the FIA Medical Commission, and professor Alessandro Frati, neurosurgeon of the Sapienza University of Rome , who travelled to Japan at the request of Scuderia Ferrari . They also provided a medical update, confirming that the injury suffered was a diffuse axonal injury and that Bianchi was in a critical but stable condition. Initial media reports in October 2014—said to be based on information obtained from Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) documents—claimed that
19602-768: The race ending under a safety car. Leclerc took pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix , he finished in second place to Red Bull's Sergio Pérez who had taken the lead at the first corner. In the final race of the 2022 season, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Leclerc and Sergio Pérez faced off for second place in the Drivers' Championship tied at an even 290 points each. Despite starting the race in P3, one place behind Perez in P2, Leclerc overtook his competitor and held on to finish P2 in
19764-483: The race in third place and was also voted 'Driver of the day' for defending his position against numerous attacks by Verstappen during the early stages of the race. This was his fourth consecutive podium finish of the season. Despite having finished in the top two in all the three practice sessions, Leclerc qualified in tenth place at the German Grand Prix after an issue with the fuel system prevented him from setting
19926-437: The race victory and the World Championship lead. After taking pole position at his home race in the Monaco Grand Prix , Leclerc finished the race in 4th place due to strategical error and a wet track. The next race in Azerbaijan saw Leclerc retire from the lead yet again with a power unit failure, which put him at third in the drivers' standings behind Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez . Leclerc started 19th for
20088-424: The race, Leclerc struggled with tyre wear and general lack of speed and finished in 11th place, five places behind teammate Vettel. Leclerc qualified fourth at the British Grand Prix and went on to finish third, claiming the 12th podium finish of his F1 career and second of the season. For the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix Leclerc qualified eighth. He subsequently pulled off a one-stop strategy to advance to fourth in
20250-457: The race, securing both 2nd place in the Drivers' Championship for himself as well as 2nd in the Constructors' Championship for Ferrari. During the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix , the first race of 2023 Formula One World Championship , Leclerc's car suffered technical problems, forcing the driver to end the race prematurely during lap 41 while on course for a third-place finish. The following race, at
20412-483: The race. Before competing in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020 at Silverstone , Leclerc reacted angrily to accusations that he was racist and opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement, responding by saying racism is "disgusting" and accusing headlines of attempting to manipulate his words. The accusations came after he was one of six drivers who opted not to take a knee during the pre-race ceremonies of
20574-437: The race. His Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished second for a Ferrari 1–2. Leclerc received 25 points, plus an additional 1 point for the fastest lap of the race, bringing his total to 26. The result meant he and Ferrari took the lead in the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship respectively. In doing so, he led the Formula One World Championship for the first time, and also became the first-ever Monégasque driver to lead
20736-474: The red flag at the middle of the race. He spent half of the race without a radio. Leclerc then finished sixth at the Portuguese Grand Prix which placed him fifth in the points standings, above his teammate Sainz, who finished 11th in the race. He qualified on pole for his home event - the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing in the final part of qualifying but was unable to start the race due to suffering
20898-554: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
21060-451: The same spot where the Sauber had stopped. Bianchi collided with the rear of a piece of heavy equipment, called a wheel loader, that was tending to the removal of Sutil's car. Spectators' video footage and photographs of the accident revealed that the left side of Bianchi's Marussia car was extensively damaged and the roll bar destroyed as it slid under the wheel loader. The impact was such that
21222-439: The severity of his injury, he recovered to take part in the next round of the championship. Bianchi remained with ART for 2011, and was partnered by 2010 GP3 Series champion Esteban Gutiérrez . He starred in the first two rounds of the 2011 GP2 Asia Series , holding off Romain Grosjean for victory in the feature race and gaining fourth in the sprint race, but he was later penalised. He finished runner-up to Grosjean in
21384-523: The shorter sprint races. He pushed harder on his medium Pirelli tyres, creating a nine-second lead before pitting. This would drop him down to 14th place, but Leclerc overtook 13 cars and took victory by overtaking Luca Ghiotto on the final lap. After taking pole position for the second time in a row, he then fought off Ghiotto to win again in the Catalunya feature race, despite a radio issue. Leclerc did not score any points at his home round at Monaco . He
21546-501: The sixth time for the next race, at Silverstone, he matched the record for most pole positions in a row, which was set by Stoffel Vandoorne in 2014 and 2015 , when the series were called GP2 Series . He won the feature race, even after his car set alight during the race, and even after one of his wing mirrors detached in the closing stages. He would not start from pole in Hungary, despite taking his seventh successive pole position, as he
21708-454: The speed at the moment of loss of control was recorded at 212 km/h (132 mph) and that the impact generated 92 g 0 (900 m/s ) . This data had been sourced from Bianchi's g-sensors in his earplugs; however, it was understood that these slipped out at a crucial moment. Subsequent calculations in July 2015 indicated a peak of 254 g 0 (2,490 m/s ) and data from
21870-681: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
22032-464: The sprint race. Due to the aggressive pace of Leclerc however, he rose through the field, yet because of the excessive wear on his tyres, he conceded three positions on the final lap and finished in seventh position. For the final rounds at Abu Dhabi, Leclerc qualified in sixth place for the Feature race, his lowest starting position all season excluding penalties. Despite this, however, he managed to finish
22194-567: The start time of Australian , Malaysian , Chinese , Japanese and Russian Grands Prix. In July 2015, Peter Wright, the Chairman of the FIA Safety Commission was quoted as saying that a closed cockpit would not have averted Bianchi's head injuries, while the Vice President, Andy Mellow, also confirmed that attaching impact protection to recovery vehicles was not a feasible solution. The first family update following Bianchi's emergency surgery
22356-579: The start, he was asked to yield and let Vettel pass, eventually finishing the race in fifth. In Azerbaijan , he was the favourite for pole position until a crash in the second qualifying session ended his contention. He started eighth after penalties for the two Alfa Romeos and finished the race fifth with an extra point for the fastest lap of the race. At the following race in Monaco , he was eliminated in Q1 and started 15th due to Ferrari's erroneous strategy that kept him in
22518-403: The summer break was the Belgian Grand Prix which saw Leclerc start in 15th place, behind Verstappen as both drivers took grid place penalties for the use of additional power unit and gearbox elements. Despite working his way through the grid well he had to pit eventually for mediums due to a tear-off in his brake ducts. The pitstop cost Leclerc a podium finish. In order to gain some more points in
22680-406: The team during the young driver test in Abu Dhabi over 16–17 November. Bianchi carried on his GP2 racing, as Formula 1 allows test and reserve drivers to race in parallel in other competitions. On 13 September 2011, Bianchi tested for Ferrari at Fiorano , as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy , with fellow academy member and Sauber F1 driver Sergio Pérez . Bianchi completed 70 laps and recorded
22842-501: The team for the following season. After starting off the season with struggles in Australia , in which he was not classified, Bianchi overcame the odds to score his – and his team's – first World Championship points by finishing ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix . Out of the nine races which Bianchi and Chilton completed without retiring, during the 2014 season, he was the quicker driver in eight of them, establishing his status as
23004-522: The team in 2010 . His victory at Monza saw him nicknamed "il Predestinato" in Italian media, meaning "the Predestined". He scored his third consecutive pole in Singapore . Initially leading the race, he finished in second place after he was undercut by teammate Vettel. In Russia , he took his fourth consecutive pole position and his sixth of the season. Vettel passed Leclerc into the first corner and led for
23166-460: The title with a round to spare, at Dijon-Prenois . He then added a ninth win at the final round at Hockenheim . He also drove in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Monaco , after SG Formula acquired the cars formerly run by Kurt Mollekens . Bianchi drove for ART in the subsequent GP2 Asia season and the 2010 GP2 season . He competed in three of the four rounds of the GP2 Asia championship. In
23328-474: The top of Leclerc's car. More points finishes came with ninth in Singapore and seventh in Russia , before retirements from a mechanical failure in Japan and damage from a collision with Romain Grosjean in the United States . He ended the season with three consecutive seventh-place finishes in the final three races. Leclerc out-qualified teammate Ericsson seventeen times from twenty-one races and finished 13th in
23490-465: The top three finishers in the 2009 Italian Formula Three Championship . Bianchi's performance in this test led to him becoming the first recruit of the Ferrari Driver Academy and signing up to a long-term deal to remain at the team's disposal. On 11 November 2010 he was confirmed by Ferrari as the team's test and reserve driver for the 2011 season, replacing Luca Badoer , Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gené , as well as confirming he would test for
23652-404: The wheel loader was partially jolted off the ground causing Sutil's Sauber, which was suspended in the air by the crane, to fall back to the ground. The race was stopped on lap 44, and Lewis Hamilton was declared the winner. Bianchi was reported as being unconscious after not responding to either a team radio call or marshals . He was treated at the crash site before being taken by ambulance to
23814-449: The youngest ever Ferrari race winner. After the race, he dedicated his maiden victory to his former competitor Anthoine Hubert , who was killed in an accident during the previous day's Formula 2 feature race at the same circuit. At the Italian Grand Prix , Leclerc won the race from pole position after defending his position from both Mercedes drivers and became the first Ferrari driver to win at Monza since Fernando Alonso won there for
23976-459: Was a French racing driver , who competed in Formula One from 2013 to 2014 . Born and raised in Nice , Bianchi was the grandson of endurance racing driver Mauro Bianchi and the great-nephew of Formula One driver Lucien . Graduating from karting to junior formulae in 2007, Bianchi won his first championship at the 2007 French Formula Renault 2.0 Championship with SG Formula . After winning
24138-459: Was a racing driver who competed in Formula Three in the 1980s and 1990s, whilst his mother, Pascale Leclerc, is a former hairdresser . Hervé died after a long illness, aged 54, four days before Leclerc won the feature race at the 2017 Baku Formula 2 round . Two days before his death, Leclerc lied to his father that he had signed a Formula One contract for the 2018 season; he signed with Sauber
24300-459: Was announced that Bianchi's family plans to take legal action against the FIA, Bianchi's Marussia team, and Bernie Ecclestone 's Formula One Group. Widespread tributes followed from fellow past and present drivers, Bernie Ecclestone , French president François Hollande , and other sport personalities. The Manor Marussia team also published a statement on their Facebook page describing Bianchi as, among other things, "a magnificent human being" and
24462-457: Was believed that if Leclerc won the GP3 Series championship, he would follow Daniil Kvyat and Valtteri Bottas direct from GP3 into F1 with Haas. However this was debunked by Haas team principal Guenther Steiner who said that Leclerc would progress to the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship . In 2017, he took part in the mid-season Hungaroring test following the Hungarian Grand Prix , driving
24624-415: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
24786-440: Was disqualified for a technical infringement. Despite starting from the back, he was in 12th position by turn 1. Using an alternative tyre strategy that saw him start on the medium tyres, Leclerc was stuck behind Alexander Albon , who was on the same strategy, although he eventually got past and would finish fourth. He would also finish fourth in the sprint race the next day, giving him a 50-point championship lead over Rowland. For
24948-714: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
25110-478: Was in critical condition with a head injury and was undergoing an operation to reduce severe bruising to his head. The FIA subsequently said that CT scans showed Bianchi suffered a "severe head injury" in the crash, and that he would be admitted to intensive care following surgery. Among his first hospital visitors immediately after the Grand Prix were Marussia's CEO Graeme Lowdon and team principal John Booth (the latter staying by Bianchi's side even after
25272-481: Was initially able to make up two places but was running slower than the race leaders Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi . As the race progressed, however, Leclerc started gaining time compared to his rivals and managed to take Latifi with a few laps to go. For the final three laps, DRS was disabled and yellow flags in the final sector meant that Leclerc was stuck behind Albon, however on the final lap, both drivers tangled, triggered by Leclerc nudging Albon, and both had
25434-416: Was involved in an accident with De Vries. After starting towards the back of the grid for the second consecutive sprint race, Leclerc managed to fight his way back to ninth position, albeit out of the points. With a 57-point margin over Rowland heading into the penultimate rounds at Jerez, Leclerc gained his eighth pole position of the season, with both of his timed laps being good enough for pole position. In
25596-455: Was made by his father in the week beginning 13 October 2014. Bianchi was reported to be in a "desperate" condition, with doctors describing his survival as a miracle. Even so, the father openly stated that he drew hope from Michael Schumacher waking from his coma. Marussia also issued regular updates on Bianchi's condition while rejecting initial speculation about their role in the accident. While hospitalised in Yokkaichi, Bianchi remained in
25758-438: Was on pole but retired from the lead of the race with a suspension problem. The retirement also meant he would start the sprint race from the back of the grid, and in this race, he collided with Norman Nato whilst trying to make his way up the grid, which ultimately resulted in both drivers retiring from the race. He retained the championship lead despite the bad weekend, which he described as 'hugely disappointing'. Leclerc took
25920-488: Was placed into an induced coma , remaining comatose until his death nine months later. The number 17 was retired from Formula One in his honour by the FIA , who mandated the halo cockpit protection device in all open-wheel championships from 2018 onwards. As of the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix , Bianchi remains the most recent fatality in the Formula One World Championship. Jules Bianchi was born in Nice , France, to Philippe and Christine Bianchi. He had two siblings, and
26082-451: Was the godfather of future Formula One driver Charles Leclerc . Bianchi was the grandson of Mauro Bianchi , who competed in GT racing during the 1960s and three non-championship Formula One Grands Prix in 1961 . He was also the grandnephew of Lucien Bianchi , who competed in 19 Formula One Grands Prix between 1959 and 1968 and 13 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans (1956–1968), finishing 1st in Class three times at Le Mans, including
26244-419: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
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