Charles Leclerc And Team Turn SIDEQUEST From Side Project To Studio

Nicolas Jayr, Charles Leclerc and Antoine Truchet (left to right)

Gregoire Truchet

Every race has a story worth telling. Whether it’s a duel into turn one, tension on the grid, heartbreak of a mechanical failure or a story of glory, sport has always been a stage for these tales to be told. For athletes, these stories define legacies, and for fans, they forge memories through emotions they evoke.

Charles Leclerc knows this better than most. But for the Ferrari driver, storytelling threads through his off-track ventures in music, fashion, and creative collaborations as well. Alongside photographer-filmmaker Antoine Truchet and brand strategist Nicolas Jayr, Leclerc channels that instinct into SIDEQUEST, a creative studio built to tell stories with the same intensity, drama, and human insight that define sport itself.

The studio’s name nods to fandom; Leclerc’s off-track projects were affectionately dubbed his “sidequests” by fans.

“My fans often comment on my ‘side quests,’ and honestly, I take that as a compliment,” said Leclerc. “These aren’t distractions, they’re part of how I think, express myself, and create. Over time, I’ve become increasingly curious and intentional about how things are made: the emotion, the detail, the story. SIDEQUEST is a way to bring that mindset to life and to share it with others.”

The Inception

The roots of SIDEQUEST weren’t laid out in a business plan, but in a simple aim. A casual voice memo from Leclerc to Jayr asked him to help “capture his life.” That seed of an idea took shape in 2022, when Jayr and Truchet joined forces with Leclerc to produce a short vlog titled 24 Hours in Monaco.

“We’ve been collaborating for the last couple of years together alongside with Charles. And it’s actually been a bit of a dream of us for the last years to kind of create a space where sports, creativity and culture kind of intersect,” said Truchet.

“Athletes like Charles, they live incredible lives… a lot of stuff going on outside of competition. So we really wanted to create a little space where we can turn all of their sidequests into stories,” he added.

What began as small, behind-the-scenes projects evolved into a creative tempo. Truchet shaped the visuals, Jayr guided brand strategy, and the video amassed nearly ten million views. It revealed the impact of genuine, human storytelling.

By the time SIDEQUEST was officially founded, the framework was already proven. It wasn’t a venture dreamed up overnight but the natural evolution of a partnership.

A New Model of Athlete-Led Creativity

The trio’s philosophy is rooted in their perspectives.

Truchet said, “We’re all kind of complimentary. Charles brings the athlete’s instinct, I’m the filmmaker, Nic is more on the brand strategy and business side. So we’re all very different, and I think that’s what makes SIDEQUEST very unique.”

SIDEQUEST describes itself as built on authenticity.

Jayr said, “Authenticity is really important, whether it’s for athletes or whether it’s for brands. The nature of advertising in my eyes is about taking a leap… you have to tap into culture or into people’s emotions to connect, and so you’re naturally getting slightly out of your comfort zone. Making those connections, trying to understand the person you’re talking to… that’s essential.”

The balance the trio brings makes SIDEQUEST less a celebrity vehicle and more a new model of athlete-led creativity, one where sport, emotion, and strategy move in unison.

Measurable Impact

The results speak for themselves. Since their initial collaboration, Leclerc’s audience has surged from 7 million to nearly 20 million followers on Instagram, with a YouTube channel built from scratch that has already passed 1.3 million subscribers.

For Truchet, the numbers matter, but the story does too. He reflected on his pride in capturing Leclerc’s long-awaited Monaco Grand Prix win as a deeply human story.

From Jayr’s vantage point, the success lies in the “ecosystem” the studio has built, where racing, personal projects, and brand collaborations are woven together. That consistency has given partners and fans alike a reason to buy in, both emotionally and commercially.

Looking Ahead

“We see SIDEQUEST to be quite an open-ended canvas, like we don’t want to narrow ourselves down to being just a sports agency or being just about athletes, like it really is a canvas to let us have fun,” said Jayr.

With AI reshaping content production, Jayr emphasizes that human-driven narratives will remain the differentiator, ensuring audiences continue to crave insight over algorithmic output.

SIDEQUEST is more than just an extension of Leclerc’s brand. It signals a whole new model of influence in the industry. Athlete-entrepreneurs also dip their hands into curating experiences, becoming cultural architects and connecting with fans on their own terms.

It creates a blueprint for the changing world of sports, where influence is measured not only in wins but by the curiosity it sparks, the resonance and the stories that stick.