Leclerc: It’s obviously a very difficult weekend

Young Leclerc and Bianchi were famously close, the young Monegasque looking up to the Frenchman who was eight years older than him.

Leclerc, racing at Suzuka for the first time described his feelings to reporters, “It’s obviously a very difficult weekend. Jules has helped me massively throughout [my career], and more than only on the racing side, it was a bit like a part of the family, all his family, so it is very difficult."

“I’ve never come to Japan before and to do the track walk this morning was quite emotional," admitted the Ferrari bound 20-year-old.

Had Bianchi survived he was sure to step up to Ferrari, tragically this never happened but now for years later his young pal will do just that when he replaces Kimi Raikkonen at the Scuderia next year.

For his first season at Ferrari next year, Leclerc is intent on somehow honouring his late father and Bianchi with a helmet design, "I'm definitely thinking about something for next year, about a helmet, but you know there is this rule where you can only run one special helmet."

"This year I did it for my father, next year I have an idea of doing something, a helmet split on both sides - one for Jules, one for my father."

"For this year I will have nothing more special than trying to make him remembered as much as I can to the public."

Starting on Friday in Japan, Leclerc knows what he needs to do, "I need to focus on this weekend to do the best job possible anyway, even if it’s a difficult weekend."