The huge fanfare surrounding the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello was amplified by the fact that Ferrari had the quickest car come the end of 2024. Across the final six race weekends they closed a 74 point gap to the championship leaders, to fall short of the constructors’ title in Abu Dhabi by just 14 points.
Yet 2025 has been a year of misery for the Scuderia and had Mercedes and Red Bull had a second driver contributing anything like the results of their team leader’s Ferrari would now be a distant fourth in this years title race.
Lewis Hamilton has set the record for a Ferrari driver failing to score a podium since arriving with the team and the likelihood he will go all year without making the Sunday presentation remains high.
Leclerc lightning in qualifying
Charles Leclerc, in his seventh year with the Red team has seven podiums from 21 outings, his latest being at the Mexican Grand Prix dominated by Lando Norris. He will complete his 150th start for Ferrari at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, only Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen have racked up more in the team’s 75 year history.
Raikkonen is also the last Ferrari driver to have won the F1 championship, having come from nowhere to pip lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at the last race in 2007. The Scuderia are experiencing their longest ever drought in winning the constructors’ championship, this year makes the number eighteen years.
The Monegasque driver is regarded amongst the best on the grid, particularly in terms of qualifying. His pole position ratio to F1 race starts sees him just outside the top ten of all time with 27 from 147 entries. Yet with just eight Grand Prix victories to his name, thistles a tale of the Ferrari race cars he has been given.
The recent outburst of the Ferrari group chairman, John Elkann, who called his F1 drivers to “talk less” and “focus more on racing” has been interpreted by many as a not so subtle direction for Charles Leclerc. Whilst Hamilton has admitted his struggles are due to adapting to a new team, Leclerc has been vocal about Ferrari being “not good enough”. His most recent attack on the team was in the media day in Brazil.
Italian journalist claims Aston ‘pestering’ Leclerc’s manager
Leclerc’s loyalty to the team has been unwavering, yet after seven years of little joy, the time will come where he will look elsewhere for his F1 future. Much has been written in the Italian media about Ferrari’s favourite son leaving the team, with fabled F1 journalist and Ferrari oracle Leo Turini the latest to comment.
In his latest column he opens the following thoughts. “It comes as no surprise that Nicolas Todt has been repeatedly contacted by Aston Martin executives in recent times. The son of the legendary French Penguin is, among other things, also Charles Leclerc’s manager.”
Turini states that Leclerc’s agent “has a duty” to evaluate every opportunity in the interest of his client, despite Ferrari being most F1 hopefuls ultimate dream drive.
“After all, Aston Martin (Stroll Sr. is trying to sell the brand for production cars but seems unwilling to give up the team, which Christian Horner has been considering together with powerful investment funds), after all, as I was saying, Aston Martin will have Newey’s car and Honda’s engine from 2026, and again in 2027, because we are talking about that deadline, Fernando Alonso will be closer to fifty than forty.”
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The news that Christian Horner is looking to acquire Aston Martin is somewhat of a bombshell, given most of the paddock chatter has been about him buying a stake in Alpine and working with long standing friend Flavio Briatore.
Of course Alonso will be 45 years of age, when his contract expires come the end of 2026, but it is the son of the Aston Martin team’s billionaire owner who is stealing a living presently. Turini suggests the driver market in 2026 will explode, as it becomes apparent which team has aced the high change in the technical regulations for both chassis and power units.
He likens the status quo as to “surplace” in track cycling. “Everyone is standing still on their pedals, but in reality, they are ready to sprint. Precisely for 2027.”
Christian Horner meets F1 CEO and Zak Brown in an F1 return bid
Turini suggests Leclerc is looking elsewhere
Of course everyone is in fact watching to see how Red Bull fair next year as they take on the unprecedented task of morphing from a customer team for engines into a works outfit building their own. It would be Max Verstappen who wold create the domino effect in the driver market, were the likes of Aston Martin, or Mercedes to come out on top following the massive rule changes.
Just as he predicted the second coming of Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari, he again pens his thoughts on the future of Leclerc with the Scuderia. “I have just written about Leclerc and the appetites he arouses. If the Rossa doesn’t work out in 2026, who would bet on Charles staying at Maranello?”
Lewis Hamilton claimed he was “living a nightmare” in his first season for Ferrari, yet Charles Leclerc is now in his seventh season with the team, all of which have offered little more than early season hope.
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Charles needs a “plan B”
In his column for Sky Germany, Ralf Schumacher recently offered some advice for the monegasque driver. “I think Leclerc is doing a fantastic job, and [he is] getting the best out of both the team and himself. He’s also a likeable guy, who fits right in at Ferrari – a family man, getting married soon. I’d send my manager over and ask what’s going on.
“In situations like this, I’ve always had a Plan B with my manager. And I’d do the same in his position, because I wouldn’t let myself be taken for a ride.”
Schumacher goes on to posit that rumours of Leclerc potentially leaving the team in 2027, were behind the recent scathing attack from John Elkann. Lewis Hamilton is said to be close to the Ferrari chairman and in fact it was he not Fred masseur who facilitated the seven times champion’s move from Mercedes.
Audi F1 boss’ bold prediction about 2026 pecking order
Mattia Binotto is a Formula One ‘lifer’. After collecting a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering then a Master’s in motor vehicle engineering he joined Ferrari age 26 in 1995 as the Jean Todt revolution was under way.
He was the key individual behind the 2019 Ferrari engine which caused much controversy, as Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel enjoyed a power advantage over their rivals.
Yet the engine was the subject of many paddock whispers and whilst never officially charged boy the FIA with wrong doing, new technical directives and fuel sensors were mandated and suddenly the Ferrari advantage mysteriously disappeared…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
