F1 Racer Charles Leclerc remembered his dad on this International Father’s day with an emotional message on his social media with pictures of his father and family.

The Scuderia Ferrari racer lost his father in 2017 right after losing his godfather and uncle Jules in 2015, leaving the racer devastated. Nonetheless, the young racer channeled his grief to working harder and dedicated his win to his father after the incident.

Let us learn more about the racer’s father, his illness, and the racer’s relationship with his father.

What Illness Did Charles Leclerc’s Father Have?

Charles Leclerc’s father, Herve Leclerc, had a long-term illness assumed to be cancer in 2017. The racer was born to parents Herve Leclerc and Pascale in 1997 in Monte Carlo.

Just like the young racer, his father loved racing as well and was even a Formula 3 racer himself in the 1980s and 1990s.

The 24-year-old racer has not revealed the exact illness that troubled his father, but it is assumed to be cancer. In the pictures of his father he posted, you can see the 54-year-old getting visibly sicker and weaker.

Charles had a close relationship with his father. He and his brother are seen with their father in their childhood playing around. His father and his godfather were the ones who inspired him to be a racer.

His dad was battling a long-term illness, and it was pretty serious when he was preparing for the 2017 Formula 2 Baku Round.

Dad Death Cause: What Happened To Him?

Charles Leclerc announced the passing of his father, Herve Leclerc, on June 20, 2017, on his Instagram with a picture of his dad hugging him with the cause of death being his long-term illness.

Leclerc’s father’s funeral was held on June 22 on a Wednesday morning at 10:30 in the Church Sainte-Devote in Monaco.

At the age of 54, right before his son’s big match, Herve passed away after battling his illness for a long time. The racer was devastated but wrote, “I will try to be as strong as I possibly can… For you.”

And he did. Four days after his father’s passing, the racer won the feature race at the 2017 Formula 2 Baku Round and dedicated the win to his late father.

The Formula 1 racer stated that it was devastating for him to lose his godfather Jules and his father in such a short time, but he did not stop racing.

On this International Father’s Day, the racer took to his social media and wrote,

“My father has done absolutely everything for me to get to where I am today. I am so grateful to have had him in my life. He was always doing everything to give everyone around a smile and to make our family happy.

Five years you are gone, and I miss you every day.

You were the best father I could have wished for. I love you .”