Well done Charles and thank you!

It’s hard to talk about Charles Leclerc’s victory in Monaco last Sunday in the midst of a torrent of news and commentary on the subject. But it’s impossible for us not to feel overwhelmed by emotion when so many memories come flooding back.

We’ve been lucky enough to follow Charles since he started karting. From the French Minikart Cup at Magny-Cours in 2005 to the KZ World Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier in 2013, Charles’ photo gallery at www.ksp-photo-agency.com retraces a full career in the discipline that saw the young Monegasque rise to the top among the stars of the era. Jules Bianchi played an important role in his rise, which began on the Brignoles circuit owned by Philippe Bianchi, Jules’ father. Jérémy Iglesias was also part of the adventure. Charles’ father, the late Hervé Leclerc, was a much-loved figure in the paddocks thanks to his natural kindness and the constant but quiet benevolence with which he surrounded his son. The two enjoyed a relationship of rare quality until Hervé’s untimely death in 2017, and it is easy to understand Charles’ inconsolable grief, which moved him to tears at the finish of the Monaco Grand Prix. Add to that the death of Jules Bianchi in 2015 and that of his friend Anthoine Hubert in 2019, and you can imagine that the sky can sometimes feel very heavy on the shoulders of Charles and those close to him. All the more reason to admire his strength of character behind a seemingly dignified reserve.

Charles made his debut in Minikart on a French MG chassis before finding his place with Sodikart, with whom he excelled in Minime and Cadet classes, winning the French Championship title on each occasion. Runner-up to Pierre Gasly and Anthoine Hubert in the KF3 (Junior) championship in 2010, it was again with a Sodi chassis that he claimed his first international victory, on home soil, at the Monaco Kart Cup, a unique event organised under the banner of the CIK-FIA. The following year, he was recruited by the Italian brand Intrepid and won the KF3 World Cup in Sarno as well as the second edition of the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy. After joining Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management team in 2011, Charles moved to ART GP in 2012, where he became European vice-champion in KF2, the premier category at the time, as well as U18 World vice-champion. That same year, he crossed swords with a certain Max Verstappen, revealing a strong personality behind his well-behaved appearance. His karting career came to an end in 2013 when he made a remarkable debut in the 125cc gearbox class. Even back then, few young talents could resist the call of single-seaters and complete their karting training on these powerful gearbox machines. Winner of the Winter Cup at Lonato in his first KZ2 race, Charles went on to finish 6th in the European KZ Championship before following Max Verstappen to 2nd place in the World KZ Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier.

We are delighted to have been able to work alongside and appreciate Charles during his years in karting, as we are to see him finally win in Monaco at his home Grand Prix, where he had been unlucky in previous years.