Hi! I just got into F1 and learnt about Jules :( Thereās not really that many interviews that i could find about him but he seemed very soft-spoken and gentle. I was wondering if you knew what he was like with fans and how good he was back then? Would you say he was the Leclerc/Russel/Norris of his time?
Your impression is correct - Jules was very caring and careful in his interviews. His behaviour with fans was also caring, to an extent considered unusual back then.
Two of the stories that were gathered together in the book of support for Jules, was typical of him from what I can tell. Story #1: There was a signing session in Spain (it was not clear if this was 2013 or 2014), where all the drivers were in the pitlane and ropes were being used to make sure fans didn't get mixed into the wrong queues or queue-jump (signing sessions in series that are less disciplined about queue management can get chaotic). The general idea is that the drivers are supposed to stay on one side of the rope, and only sign things for fans that go to them (to avoid getting mobbed - people worried about this, even in the early 2010s when fan engagement was relatively low compared to the 2000s and 2020s). Jules apparently did not get the memo. At some point, he ducked under one of the ropes and started signing things right there in the fan area. The fan who witnessed it and shared the story had never seen another driver (in any series) do this before, and appreciated it. Story #2: Singapore 2014. A fan with a paddock pass who had received multiple signatures from Jules on previous visits (presumably this was a paddock regular as well as a fan), spotted Jules surrounded by a crowd of fans wanting things signed.
The fan reached in, shook Jules' hand and wished him good luck. Jules walked 50 metres, group of fans in tow - then turned round and walked straight back to the fan who shook his hand. He said, "Thank you. It means a lot". I can confirm that even nowadays, not all drivers are so effusive about thanking someone for such a straightforward gesture. Also, drivers usually organise their walks past fans for efficiency. It is an unwritten rule that they don't double-back on themselves unless there is a very good reason. For Jules, a handshake was "a very good reason". As for how Jules was on-track, I'd say Leclerc 2020 was probably the best comparison on the current grid to where Jules was in terms of driver development. Jules 2014 and Charles 2020 were both in cars where the team atmosphere was good but the car disappointing. Both found that spectacularly over-driving the car was the only way to get performance out of it at all - and were perfectly willing to do so. Occasionally this caused DNFs that team-mates did not have, though in Jules' case the car typically broke down before it could be crashed because the Marussia of 2014 was far less reliable than anything any team fielded in 2020. Both resourceful. Daring. Technically skilful. Both were/are creative overtakers - there's a reason passing at Rascasse in a modern F1 car is mostly associated with those two - both could be relied upon to make a dull race exciting and both were in the process of developing a reputation for looking after tyres. Jules was head and shoulders the brightest talent in the back half of the grid. Charles only missed having that reputation in 2020 because some of his friends (specifically Lando Norris and George Russell) were also known and reputed as strong drivers in their own right by that point. Jules might have been one of 5 rookies on the 2013 grid, but nobody thought any of the others was going to be a serious title contender during those first two years. (Valtteri Bottas improved his reputation slowly over the rest of the 2010s by making good use of his opportunities, but he was seen as being about as good as the non-Jules rookies of that year at the time Jules was racing). But by 2014, Jules had shown enough that many people felt he could be a F1 race winner in the right car. Monaco 2014 convinced some he was going to be a champion by trophy - and most considered him to have the attitude worthy of a champion already. He just needed a car that wasn't 3 seconds slower than the title contenders' vehiclesā¦ Even Charles 2020 and Jules 2014 had the same main weakness. Both got criticised by their teams for talking too much on the radio when things weren't going well, although as far as I know, Jules has no on-record equivalents to Charles' Turkey 2020 slowdown lap perorationā¦
