Christian Horner admits “Ferrari would be crazy not to renew Charles Leclerc’s contract”. Christian Horner reflects on Ferrari and Charles Leclerc's F1 contract.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc still with Ferrari

The contracts binding Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to Ferrari will expire at the end of the 2024 season, but the likelihood of seeing both drivers still in Maranello in the near future is quite high. Although official announcements have not yet been made, the most reassuring words have recently come from the President of the Prancing Horse, John Elkann, who reiterated that both the Spaniard and the Monegasque will “certainly stay” behind the wheel of the Scuderia in the coming years.

The Leclerc-Ferrari love story

It remains to be seen what the new agreement for the stay of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in Maranello will be, with the latter renewing ties with Ferrari after a long history with the team that began in 2016. In that year, the Monegasque entered the Driver Academy, remaining there until 2018 when he made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber before becoming an official driver for Ferrari in 2019.

All as expected for Christian Horner

Last year’s vice-world champion and author of 5 overall victories, Charles Leclerc, despite the difficulties faced in battles with Mercedes and then Red Bull, is considered one of the major threats to Max Verstappen’s current leadership. Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, is aware of this. Interviewed by Sky F1 at the Autosport Awards, the English manager now considers Charles Leclerc’s renewal a foregone conclusion, going so far as to find any different news surprising: “It’s entirely natural; he’s a great driver. I’m sure they will want to keep him, and they would be crazy not to.”

Toto Wolff’s perspective

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff shares the same opinion, who, before the renewals of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (both valid until 2025), had seriously considered Charles Leclerc for a future at Brackley: “I don’t know anything about the contractual situation, but he’s a fantastic guy. Why shouldn’t Ferrari renew him?” Both Charles Leclerc and John Elkann considered the just-concluded season “disappointing,” but the process initiated by Ferrari for the team’s growth makes Maranello’s number one optimistic, to the point of considering his driver a future world champion.