Charles Leclerc has begun tentative negotiations with Ferrari the Monagasque driver reveals. Monaco’s Charles Leclerc told Spielberg on Thursday that he has begun tentative negotiations with Ferrari over a possible contract extension with the Italian team beyond the 2024 season.
While Mercedes boss Toto Wolff already admitted earlier this year that Charles Leclerc was clearly on his team’s radar, Leclerc has always told him that he is happy at Ferrari, although he has not totally ruled out the idea of one day looking elsewhere.
Mercedes talks
Leclerc’s talks with Mercedes are now pretty much an open secret within the paddock. Mercedes has acknowledged that Charles Leclerc is a potential option for the future. At just 13 years younger than Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc, along with Lando Norris and George Russell, is regarded as one of the most promising talents in Formula 1.
Speculation about a possible move for Leclerc to Mercedes arose during the Baku Grand Prix when he stirred controversy by responding “Not yet” when asked if he had spoken to Mercedes. Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, was questioned about Leclerc’s comment, to which he replied, “Charles is a fantastic individual and someone you should always keep an eye on for the long-term future. That much is clear.”
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Tentative negotiations with Ferrari begun
With that in mind, and with his chances of fighting for a world title this year with Ferrari looking pretty slim, Leclerc did indicate that he had begun negotiations: “We are slowly starting to talk about it yes.”
But it certainly appears that a future with Ferrari beyond this season is not particularly palatable for Leclerc who then openly admits that contract talks with the Scuderia is not his focus.
“But to be honest, it’s not really in the front of my mind yet.”
“When I say we’ve started talking about it, it’s just here and there, but there’s nothing special, nothing specific. I love Ferrari, I’m happy here.” Leclerc assures,
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Rapid rise into F1
Leclerc’s promotion to Formula 1 came after an impressive season in Formula 2, where he clinched the championship title with Prema Racing.
Charles Leclerc is in his fifth season with Ferrari, having left Sauber after an extremely impressive debut F1 campaign with the Swiss team in 2018.
Throughout the 2018 season, Leclerc continued to impress with his consistent performances and remarkable pace. He frequently outperformed his more experienced teammate and showcased his ability to extract the maximum performance from the car. One of the standout moments of his rookie year came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he secured an outstanding sixth-place finish, scoring his first points in Formula 1.
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Leclerc in new territory
After a strong first season with Ferrari, Leclerc has signed a five-year deal, and the long-term nature of the contract means there has been little speculation about his future so far.
“This is probably the first time in my career that I’ve found myself in this position. It’s not that nobody wanted me before, it’s just that that was the nature of the contract and it’s now the first time in my career that I’m approaching the end of a contract.”
“Basically, up until now it’s been pretty straightforward, I’ve moved from Sauber to Ferrari. I’m now in a different situation in my career. But I don’t mind all that, I’m concentrating on driving, I just hope to win as quickly as possible with Ferrari and then we’ll see.”
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