Ferrari warned Red Bull and Mercedes ‘would love’ to sign Leclerc

F1: Leclerc says Ferrari career has 'exceeded expectations'

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Ferrari have been warned that Red Bull and Mercedes “would love” to sign Charles Leclerc. That’s the opinion of Formula E star Sam Bird who has spoken about the Monegasque driver’s thoughts going into the 2023 season. Leclerc struggled to battle Max Verstappen for the title last season after a range of strategy errors and reliability issues plagued their season.

It is believed Leclerc also fell out with team boss Mattia Binotto mid-season, raising the possibility of an exit for the Monegasque star. Bird told the BBC’s Chequered Flag Podcast: “Every team would love to get the services of Charles Leclerc. Of course they would. I mean, he’s one of the best drivers on the grid.

“He would dearly love for Ferrari to come out the traps next year with a car that can fight Max Verstappen, because Charles Leclerc will fancy himself against Max Verstappen. He will be going into the winter thinking, ‘I didn’t have the car, they didn’t give me the car, and if they give me the car, I’ll fight this guy, and we’ll go head to head.’”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hinted he would keep a door open to securing Leclerc or Verstappen in a 2020 interview.

The Austrian told Auto Motor Und Sport: “I would be surprised if both of these young drivers have committed to their teams for five years and closed the door to everywhere else. Contracts are often more complex than the media portrays.

“As long as we have a fast car, because this is our first priority, we will always have a situation where we can choose who drives it.” Verstappen has since signed a multi-year deal which will keep him at Red Bull until the end of 2028.

However, Leclerc’s contract expires at the end of 2024 at a time when Lewis Hamilton will be considering his F1 retirement. Red Bull will seemingly also have a seat available with Sergio Perez also only contracted until the end of the 2024 campaign.

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Leclerc refused to completely dismiss the rumours when asked by French magazine L’Equipe about a possible Mercedes move earlier this season. The 25-year-old claimed he was happy with Ferrari” but admitted responded ”we’ll see’ when pushed on his future in the sport.

He explained: “2024 is a long time away and there is still a little time left at Ferrari. This team has always been my dream. My objective at the moment is to win with Ferrari and then we’ll see. I am very happy with Ferrari and I want to win with them.”

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