Charles Leclerc does not rule out a departure from Ferrari

Charles Leclerc has been with Ferrari since 2016, after joining their racing academy and being promoted to driver in 2019. He may be disappointed because if he had been with Ferrari in another era, it is likely that the number of successes would have been much higher.

We will see what the future holds for us.

However, the balance shifted in 2022 with Ferrari starting the season as the strongest team on the grid, but a series of driver errors, reliability issues, and strategic missteps saw their championship bid disappear spectacularly. With other teams looking to secure the services of the Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc has ruled out an imminent departure from the Italian outfit but has left the door open for the future, hinting that he will wait and see.

Driver number 16 signed a multi-year agreement in 2019 that expires at the end of the 2024 season. « No, there are no ongoing discussions, at least not for now. I love the color red. I love Ferrari. I am very happy here. But we will see what the future holds. Obviously, it is very early to talk about it, my contract ends in 2024. But I will know once the negotiations start », he said in an interview with Sky Sports F1.

A successful season for Ferrari as a reason for extension

Charles Leclerc hopes that the push for the Ferrari title will last much longer in 2023 with the new car, the SF-23, unveiled to the world in Maranello and with Leclerc’s former boss, Fred Vasseur, at the helm of the team.

With the teams that have not yet carried out pre-season testing, it is still early to judge Vasseur’s tenure, but the Monégasque says he is already impressed by what he has seen.

“He has been incredible in this new position within a new team like Ferrari,” said the 25-year-old young man. “It’s different when you arrive at Ferrari, but he knows what he wants. He knows what we need to do well and how to put people in the best conditions to extract the maximum from the team, and that’s very important. So, I’m certain that it will be very useful, and I’m excited to be at the first race to see the results.”

“A season 2023 that promises to be important for the future of the Scuderia in F1.”