The Future of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. The Future of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

The latest F1 news and rumors surrounding the Ferrari team have been filled with Charles Leclerc’s potential departure.

Despite being happy with his current position on the Ferrari team, the five-time Grand Prix winner and 25-podium placer has been advised that leaving Ferrari would be his best option.

Leclerc fans needn’t panic; the 25-year-old isn’t hinting at retirement. In fact, in a recent interview with Canal Plus F1, he was asked what he’d be doing in 10 years; he responded: “I am 25, I will be 35 (in 10 years), I hope to still be on the grid. I hope to have won a few titles in the meantime, but yes, to still be an F1 driver.”

Leclerc Leaving Ferrari

Charles Leclerc he’s one of the best talents on the F1 roster, and multiple teams would be interested in his services. Following rumors that Ferrari is considering Lewis Hamilton, it’s now rumored that Leclerc could move to Mercedes.

But this isn’t the only reason many critics believe Leclerc has one foot out of the door. The primary reason for Leclerc potentially departing from Ferrari is the continuous strategy errors that have arisen more than Max Verstappen winning races. In the most recent Spanish Grand Prix, it was another error on behalf of the Italian team that dented Leclerc’s potential.

Ferrari’s continuous mistakes have been the talk of the town throughout the previous 24 months, and it was the sole reason former engineer Mattia Binotto was fired. However, since his departure, it doesn’t feel like much has changed, and Leclerc is suffering from Ferrari’s decision-making again.

Considering the circumstances, the current season for the Monegasque driver has been superb. Leclerc is among the top five choices on top sports betting apps to win the 2023 Drivers Championship. And despite Ferrari’s consistent failures, he’s still seventh in the 2023 Drivers Championship standings.

At the time of writing, there’s zero evidence that Leclerc is leaving Ferrari. However, many sources, critics, and even former F1 driver Marc Surer have urged him to consider future options. Surer believes Leclerc must sign with Mercedes if approached, despite the Monegasque native previously sharing his desire to win a world championship with Ferrari.

“It’s a bit muddled with Ferrari at the moment. There’s no bright spot, either. If he [Leclerc] gets a chance, he should switch teams. That would certainly do him good,” Surer said when discussing the situation on the Formel1 YouTube channel.

Leclerc’s Future: The Reality

While Mercedes hasn’t been the only team linked with Leclerc, it’s been the most expected if any move were to happen. That said, the reality is that both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will likely remain with the Silver Arrows. With Russell owning a long-term deal with Mercedes, a scenario where Hamilton didn’t re-sign would need to surface to give Leclerc a path onto the team.

Adding more doubt to Leclerc’s potential move to Mercedes, Hamilton was recently questioned by Sky Sports F1 about his future and made it abundantly clear that a contract extension was close. The British driver said his team is “almost at the end of having a contract ready,” following a discussion with team principal Toto Wolff.

Furthermore, Wolff made similar comments regarding which drivers will be on the 2024 F1 Grid at Mercedes. When asked the same question as Lewis, Wolff said: “We are 100% committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis”.

When comparing the Leclerc rumors with actual facts, it seems like nothing more than that rumor. When quizzed about the Mercedes link, he said: “You all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise,” when insisting there was “zero truth” to the claims. He continued: “For now, I am fully focussed on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari, and I fully trust and am confident for the future. Then we will see, but I am fully confident for the project of Ferrari.”

And as for Ferrari’s chief, Frederic Vasseur was blunter and straight to the point: “The rumors about Charles and Mercedes are bulls***,” Vasseur said. “Charles said he loves Ferrari and wants to win with Ferrari. We are at the beginning of the season, where there is much gossip we will hear every weekend, but we are not worried.”