Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes Formula 1, has acknowledged that Ferrari man Charles Leclerc must be considered by his team in the long term, but at the same time he pointed out that currently holds no interest in him for the short or medium term.
Charles Leclerc’s Scuderia Ferrari contract is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 Formula One campaign and he has been linked to Mercedes for several months as a prospective option for the team following the possible retirement of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose Mercedes deal expires this season, although he is expected to renew for two more years, as previously hinted by the German side.
During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, Charles Leclerc was questioned more about Mercedes’ potential interest and, although he denied any contact, he sparked some curiosity by adding “not yet.” When asked about Charles Leclerc’s contractual situation and whether there had been any communication with him or his management, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff responded in Azerbaijan, saying that he needed to be monitored for the future, but they were not interested in him in the immediate future:
“I think nobody doubts Charles’ ability. He is a good guy. The only time I talked with him was when we discussed where the gate is in Melbourne when we boarded the plane! No contact otherwise. I think he’s 100%. committed and loyal to Ferrari. And it’s his contract. And in the same way we are 100% committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis.” – the Austrian manager added.
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Asked for more comments on whether the Monegasque needed to be under consideration if he’s available, the Mercedes boss continued said: “Charles is a super guy and for the long-term future, someone you need to always have on your radar. And that’s clear. But not for the short- and the medium-term.” – he pointed out.
Amid Scuderia Ferrari’s disappointing start to the 2023 Formula One season, speculation regarding Charles Leclerc’s F1 future has gradually intensified, particularly following his failure to win the championship in 2022, despite a solid start to the season. Several technical failures and a series of poor strategy decisions from the Maranello pit wall in 2022 prevented Charles Leclerc from challenging Max Verstappen for the world title.
Scuderia Ferrari underwent a change in leadership over the winter, with Frederic Vasseur, a long-time supporter of the Monegasque driver, taking over as Ferrari team principal, replacing Mattia Binotto. In addition to this, further turnover has occurred, including the departure of head of vehicle concept David Sanchez and the recent announcement that senior team member Laurent Mekies will leave to join AlphaTauri.
Scuderia Ferrari’s ongoing underachievement, combined with the apparent instability at the top, have raised doubts about Charles Leclerc’s chances of competing for a Formula One championship with the Italian side in the following years.
However, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur felt that Charles Leclerc’s statements ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix “confirmed he is committed to the project and he wants to be world champion with Ferrari”.
As for Mercedes, the priority of Toto Woll is definitely to continue with a line-up made up of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, which seems to be the most evenly matched pairing on the current Formula 1 grid.
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