Charles Leclerc remembers the trait he always admired about Jules Bianchi

Charles Leclerc says he always admired the “never give up” attitude of his friend Jules Bianchi, as he paid tribute to the Frenchman 10 years after his death.

The two drivers became close friends growing up, with the current Ferrari star regarding Bianchi - eight years his senior - as a “mentor”. Their bond extended beyond racing, with their families remaining close to this day.

Leclerc holds many memories of his time with Bianchi, who was born just 20km from Monaco in Nice, France.

But what stood out most to the Monegasque was Bianchi’s relentless competitive spirit, as he recalled how his late friend would dedicate himself daily to improving his weaknesses.

“He was very obsessive in a way that whenever he wasn't good enough at something, you would see him one month, two months or three months later and he will have trained at every single opportunity he had,” Leclerc wrote in a column for F1’s official website.

“I remember playing him at squash, for example. The first few times, he was already much better than me but then I remember like five or six months later, he had organised a tournament with one of the top 20 in the world.

“He was actually doing really well and that was very, very impressive because he had just trained every single day to get better at squash. This is a trait that I've always admired from Jules.

“He would never, ever give up and he would work so hard in order to get better at something. Anything he would do, he would give the absolute maximum.”

Bianchi lost his life on 17 July 2015, nine months after he struck a recovery vehicle during a rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

He was the first Formula 1 driver to die from injuries sustained in a grand prix since Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash at Imola in 1994.

Leclerc hopes Bianchi, a former Ferrari Driver Academy member, will be remembered not only for his kindness but also for the raw pace he showed in the junior ranks - and the promise he demonstrated during his time with the backmarker Marussia team.

“I hope Jules will be remembered as an extremely talented driver, who unfortunately never had the chance to be in a top team with a car that was helping him to show the extent of his talent,” said Leclerc.

“There are some people where you can see through their eyes, through their smile, how good of a person they are – and I think Jules is one of them.

“This is probably the most important thing for me to remember from Jules – how kind of a human being he was and how dedicated he was to try and reach his goals.”