sport news Charles Leclerc to wear special helmet at Japanese Grand Prix to honour his ... trends now

View
comments

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will wear a special helmet at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix to mark the 10th anniversary of Jules Bianchi's tragic accident at Suzuka.

Bianchi was involved in a serious incident in the closing stages of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix after he lost control of his car in wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle.

He underwent emergency surgery and was placed in a induced coma but passed away in July the following year as a result of his injuries.

The Frenchman had acted as a mentor to Leclerc, his godson, before his untimely passing with the Monegasque driver crediting Bianchi as a 'gamechanger' in his rise to Formula One.

'Of course it's a very special place, and whenever I get here I have somewhere in my mind Jules,' said Leclerc, whose helmet design is based on the one worn by Bianchi when he raced for Marussia in 2014 and includes his number 17, which was retired by the FIA following Bianchi's death.