Last Updated on February 13 2024, 4:57 pm
Ferrari have been a Formula One also ran team since their last championship win back in 2008. The turmoil in Maranello has seen the iconic squad run by four managers in just a decade and the latest Fred Vasseur is now entering his second year in an attempt to return the Scuderia to winning ways.
Hopes of F1 championships have seen Ferrari recruit world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso but their tenure with the Italian team proved fruitless as Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have dominated the racing scene since 2010.
Leclerc receives early Ferrari backing
The signing of young gun Charles Leclerc marked a shift in Ferrari’s superstar recruitment policy as the young Monegasque driver was snapped up after just his rookie year driving for Sauber. In a break with tradition then team boss Maurizio Arrivabene revealed their rookie driver had been contracted for at least four years until 2022.
During his first season for the Scuderia, Leclerc recorded ten podium finishes, two wins, four fastest laps and the most pole positions of any driver that year with seven. He racked up 264 points finishing fourth in the drivers’ championship and ahead of his team mate Sebastian Vettel.
During his second campaign for the Red team Ferrari extended Leclerc’s contract to the end of 2025 on what was described as a ‘multi-year’ deal.
With a year left remaining on his contract, team principal Fred Vasseur indicated before Christmas last year he would be retaining the services of Leclerc long into the future. Then in January a deal was announced which would see the Monegasque drover remain in Maranello until 2028, the same time Max Verstappen’s deal is believed to concede with Red Bull Racing.
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Ferrari discuss Hamilton recruitment with Charles
During the negotiations with Ferrari, Leclerc believed he would be racing alongside his current team mate Carlos Sainz until at least the next regulation change in 2026, but all that changed on February 1st when the bombshell that Lewis Hamilton would be joining the Scuderia next season.
Behind the scenes according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Leclerc was made aware of the plans to recruit the seven times world champion as the negotiations on his new long term contract were being concluded.
Ferrari are infamous for their team orders in the past, best epitomised by the arc engineer Rob Smelly’s radio instructions to Felipe Massa, “Felipe – Fernando is faster than you.”
This was during the 2010 German Grand when at that time team orders had been banned by the FIA. Ironically the reason for the ban followed that many saw as the complete manipulation of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix when Rubens Barachello was ordered to give up a certain win to his team mate Michael Schumacher.
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Scuderia infamous for team orders
Schumacher then made a farce of the presentation ceremony by forcing his team mate Barichello onto the top step and placed his hand on the winners trophy. Eventually the FIA relented accepting legislating against team orders was nigh on impossible and Leclerc suffered from the Ferraro call to move over in his very first Grand Prix.
Leclerc suffered from Ferrari team orders just a handful of races after having signed for them. in China 2019 Charles qualified fourth behind his world championship winning team mate Sebastian Vettel. He overtook the German ace at the start but was told to yield allowing Vettel through and Leclerc eventually finished the race in fifth place.
Clearly when Charles was given the news the team were close to agreeing a deal with Lewis Hamilton for next season his immediate concern was for his own championship hopes. Hamilton is clearly seeking a record breaking eight F1 drivers’ title and has left Mercedes believing Ferrari offers him the best hope of achieving this.
Given Ferrari’s previous form in terms of team orders, Charles Leclerc clearly believes they could favour Hamilton were they in the hunt for a drivers’ world championship. To this end La Gazzetta reports the Monegasque demanded an exit clause before signing his latest contract with Ferrari.
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Leclerc beating Hamilton proves a point
That said Leclerc believes the recruitment of Lewis Hamilton gives him an opportunity to raise his standing amongst the current crop of F1 drivers according to La Gazette. Should Charles beat the seven times world champion he will have seen off one of the all time F1 greats.
The exit clause is believed to allow Leclerc to leave after just one season of partnering with Hamilton but the Italian media suggests in fact Charles believes Lewis will contribute to moving the team forward given his experience of working in the record breaking world championship winning Mercedes AMG F1 team.
There is a whole season ahead of F1’s most successful team before Hamilton joins them and they will be hp[ing to improve on last years seven pole positions and one win. At the unveiling of the SF-24 today Leclerc revealed his experience of the completely new car design has so far only been positive.
“On the simulator, the feeling is good. The car is definitely a step forward compared to last year. We’ve been focusing on the main weaknesses we had last year, as we do every year.
“For now, the car in the simulator has been reacting extremely well, but there’s obviously another important part to all of this – how much it correlates to the real car once we put it in Bahrain for the first time on the track.”
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Sainz admits surprise
Speaking for the first time on Camera since the bombshell he was being replaced by Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz admitted the news during his won contract negotiations was somewhat of a surprise.
Yet the Spaniard was pragmatic in his view of the future and has a year to impress other suitors up and down the grid that he is their man for next season.
“I think I’m actually very privileged to be part of Ferrari and still having a year ahead of me, a total of four years as a Ferrari driver,” he said.
“And I think once you are a Ferrari driver, you can go to every team from now on having been at Ferrari. Having been a Ferrari driver I think does good to any driver on the grid.”
Of course it was Sainz who claimed Ferrari’s only victory last season following a stella drive I Singapore where he held of Lando Norris and the late charging Mercedes pair. Ferrari have taken a huge gamble on recruiting the ageing Hamilton who unlike F1’s elder statesmen Fernando Alonso, does not look as though he remains at the peak of his powers.
Lewis was beaten in the championship in 2022 when team mate George Russell stepped up to replace Vatteri Bottas. Whilst Hamilton triumphed over his team mate last season, the once king of the qualifying lap was matched by Russell as each claimed 11 sessions where they qualified ahead of the other for the Grand Prix.
Further the Scuderia risks ending the year with egg on its collective face should Sainz finish the season ahead of Leclerc and their previous form suggests this is most definitely not out of the question
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Oh I will leave a comment and say, after the third misspelling or missing word I stopped reading this article, seriously, as a official F1 website content that’s far from ideal, to be fair, very poor, read this comment and maybe you’ll learn something, because what a German Grand is I have no idea… €1000? Pathetic.
Can I get a job?
This is not an “Official F1 website content”
If true, Leclerc has lessened in my eyes. He should be embracing the opportunity for the challenge.
One thing that annoys anytime I read it, is Ferrari being infamous for team orders. This is only true to Gen Z or people who began watching F1 during the Schumacher era.
Throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s onwards, fine British teams used team orders, Williams, Brabham, Lotus and McLaren.
1997 and 1998, David Coulthard had to cede first place to Mika Hakkinen.
In 2008 German Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen was told not to slow down Hamilton, yet the press said nothing.
I’m choosing the more recent examples as I’m not convinced the readership would appreciate ancient history.
Ferrari only ever instructed their drivers regards finishing position when a title was on the line, otherwise it was each man for himself.
Leclerc wanted an exit clause if he doesn’t get a decent car the next three years, not because of Hamilton, he knew about Lewis before signing his contract.
Terrible article 😭, Leclerc has been joking and hinting about partnering with Lewis for a while now. They also spend time together when in Monaco and if anyone saw his recent interview which is on skysports f1 YouTube (which is where they quoted Sainz), it’s pretty easy to tell Leclerc was on board with the idea.
Still feel for Sainz, but he’s a great driver with great race craft and hope he will find a seat at a place that will give him a stable environment to compete.
Do you guys have an editor? Or is it children writing this stuff? Seriously, it bad enough that we must sift through all the misleading and redundant statements, but to also be subjected to middle school writing skills is unacceptable.
The fact the FIRST SENTENCE is complete gobble-de-gook, I am ashamed that I was surprised to see so many spelling and grammar mistakes in this article.
Points dragged on for so long and it was just an infuriating read.
Considering you get paid to write this stuff, it really shows how much you car about the job and subject when you can’t even do a basic proof read before posting.
Disgraceful.