Charles Leclerc explored the possibility of joining Mercedes for the 2025 Formula 1 season before committing his future to Ferrari, according to a report that reveals his management held talks over the seat eventually given to Kimi Antonelli. The discussions emerged as Lewis Hamilton prepared to leave Mercedes for Maranello, creating a vacancy alongside George Russell that briefly offered Leclerc a potential route away from Ferrari.
Motorsport.com reports that Nicolas Todt, who manages Leclerc, contacted Mercedes after the Monegasque driver’s camp learned of Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari. The discussions centred on whether Charles Leclerc could replace the seven-time world champion at Brackley for 2025, before Mercedes ultimately pursued its long-term plan with Antonelli instead.
Charles Leclerc considered Mercedes before renewing with Ferrari
The timing adds a new dimension to one of Formula 1’s biggest driver-market developments of recent years. Leclerc ultimately signed a new Ferrari agreement in January 2024, with the renewal coming after Todt had spoken to Mercedes about the possibility of taking Hamilton’s place.
Ferrari then announced in February 2024 that Lewis Hamilton would join the team from the beginning of the 2025 season, replacing Carlos Sainz. That move brought the Briton’s long association with Mercedes to an end and reshaped both teams’ driver plans.
Leclerc’s January agreement was itself a significant commitment. He had been part of Ferrari’s structure since entering its junior programme in 2016 and became a full-time race driver for the Scuderia in 2019, when he replaced Kimi Raikkonen.
The Monegasque later extended that relationship again. Although his previous contract was not due to expire until 2029, Leclerc signed another Ferrari deal in June 2026 running through the 2030 season. The renewal removed the possibility of him using a release clause that had been available at the end of 2026 and once again secured one of the central figures in Ferrari’s long-term plans.
Mercedes chose Kimi Antonelli for Lewis Hamilton’s vacant seat
Mercedes ultimately followed a different route after Hamilton’s departure. George Russell was already established within the team, while Toto Wolff had been preparing highly rated junior Kimi Antonelli for a Formula 1 future.
Antonelli has since revealed that Wolff had already discussed the possibility of him replacing Hamilton before the seven-time world champion had formally confirmed that he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari. That timeline fits with Mercedes evaluating its post-Hamilton options while Leclerc’s management was also considering whether the Brackley vacancy could offer an alternative to remaining at Maranello.
Had Mercedes chosen Leclerc, the move would have created an extraordinary reshuffling of the leading teams. Instead, the Monegasque renewed with Ferrari, Hamilton moved into his place alongside him for 2025 and Antonelli stepped up to partner Russell at Mercedes.
Mercedes did not reopen Charles Leclerc talks for 2027
A possible second opportunity was created by the structure of Leclerc’s Ferrari contract. The reported release option available after the 2026 season could potentially have allowed another approach to Mercedes for 2027.
This time, however, Mercedes were not interested in reopening negotiations with Leclerc’s representatives. The team was satisfied with its existing combination of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, leaving no reason to pursue another major change in its driver line-up.
Ferrari subsequently removed the uncertainty surrounding Leclerc’s own future by agreeing the new deal through 2030. The renewal represented his second contract extension in little more than two years and reinforced the long-term commitment between the driver and the team that brought him into Formula 1’s most famous garage.
How the different choices reshaped Ferrari and Mercedes
The 2025 discussions now provide an intriguing backdrop to the very different positions Ferrari and Mercedes occupy in 2026. What began with Hamilton deciding to leave Brackley ultimately created several possible routes: Mercedes could have pursued Leclerc, Ferrari could have faced the loss of the driver it had developed since his junior career, and Antonelli’s promotion could have been delayed or redirected.
Instead, Antonelli received the Mercedes opportunity and has turned it into the leading position in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship. After 14 of the scheduled 23 rounds, the 20-year-old holds an 81-point advantage over teammate George Russell.
Ferrari’s new pairing sits further behind. Hamilton is third in the championship, 101 points off the lead, while Leclerc occupies fifth place with a 125-point deficit heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The remaining races and championship picture can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
That creates an unusual counterfactual around the reported 2024 discussions. Had Leclerc ultimately moved to Mercedes and taken the seat vacated by Hamilton, he could have found himself driving the car that currently leads the championship rather than competing against it from Ferrari. It remains a hypothetical scenario rather than a measure of what his results would necessarily have been, but it illustrates how consequential the driver-market decisions became.
Charles Leclerc remains central to Ferrari’s future
For Ferrari, the eventual outcome has been to retain Leclerc while adding Hamilton rather than losing the Monegasque as part of the reshuffle triggered by the Briton’s move. The Scuderia has since committed to Leclerc through 2030, closing the contractual route that could have reopened the Mercedes possibility after 2026.
The immediate focus has now returned to performance on track. Ferrari heads to Baku with Hamilton and Leclerc trying to reduce their championship deficits while Antonelli arrives as the points leader. Full session times and weekend details are available in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule.
Yet the reported Mercedes discussions offer a revealing glimpse of how different Formula 1’s current driver landscape might have looked. Before Hamilton had even begun his Ferrari career and before Antonelli became a Mercedes race driver, Leclerc’s future at Maranello was not as straightforward as the eventual contract extensions might suggest.
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