Charles Leclerc’s connection to Ferrari has always been obvious. But it seems he’s starting to think more with his head than his heart these days.
Leclerc joined F1 through the Ferrari driver academy and has been with the team since 2019, picking up eight wins along the way, including two memorable ones at Monza.
By next season, he’ll move past Kimi Raikkonen into second place on Ferrari’s all-time appearance list, with only Michael Schumacher ahead of him.
But according to Corriere dello Sport, Leclerc’s future with Ferrari is becoming less certain. Like many drivers, he’ll wait to see how things shape up under the new regulations before making any decisions, but he’s already had discussions with other teams.
Charles Leclerc is in talks with Mercedes and McLaren
Leclerc may be one of the faces of Formula 1, but he’s yet to be given a car capable of truly showing what he can do.
The best he’s ever finished in the championship is second – but there are few who’d argue that Ferrari gave him a genuine title challenger. It’s why – as much as it would hurt him – he has to accept that Ferrari may not be the place for him.
There is no shortage of interest in Leclerc if he does decide to leave. He was linked to Alpine earlier this year, but two bigger teams are now reportedly at the centre of his options: Mercedes and McLaren.
Mercedes’ priority target is Max Verstappen, but his bond with Red Bull rivals Leclerc’s with Ferrari. Toto Wolff may already have formed a blockbuster plan B.
As for McLaren, Oscar Piastri has been linked with Ferrari, so there may be an opportunity for a de facto seat swap. Leclerc’s entourage have started ‘discussions’ with ‘several’ candidates already.
Ferrari engineers ‘angry’ with Charles Leclerc’s Singapore Grand Prix comments
According to Corriere, Leclerc’s post-race comments in Singapore didn’t sit well with some of Ferrari’s engineering team. He had started the race in seventh and finished sixth, losing out to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli along the way.
Afterwards, he said: “Mercedes has made great strides forward, just like Red Bull had a few races ago, but we haven’t. In these conditions, it’s difficult to be optimistic and think that the situation can change in the final races.”
His frustrations were reflected in the standings too. Mercedes moved ahead of Ferrari for second place and Red Bull closed the gap to just eight points.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari put Lewis Hamilton in a tricky position at Singapore race
One journalist described Leclerc as having an air of ‘total resignation’ after the race. He’ll be 29 by the end of next season and he can’t afford to simply assume that his chance will come.
There are signs Ferrari could be thinking about significant changes too. Gabriel Bortoleto is on their radar while Oliver Bearman is already part of their setup through Haas.
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