Leclerc puts Mercedes and Red Bull on alert with comment on Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc has potentially put Ferrari’s main rivals on red alert after confirming he has not held talks with the Italian team over an extension to his current contract. The Monegasque man was second in the drivers’ standings in 2022, which represented his best F1 campaign since debuting with Haas in 2016.

But with the Scuderia expected to mount a serious title challenge in the first season of F1’s new era of regulations, the year signified an anti-climatic one for Leclerc. Especially given he won two of the opening three Grand Prix races, triumphing in Bahrain and then Australia to take an early lead in the standings.

However, he only took the chequered flag in one of the 19 races that followed, coming first in Austria. And he was unable to keep pace with Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull man finishing a mammoth 146 points ahead of his rival after winning at 15 of the 22 venues.

Indeed, Leclerc’s challenge was plagued by a series of strategic errors by the Scuderia and Team Principal Mattia Binotto was a casualty, resigning at the end of the campaign after a 27-year association with Ferrari. And now the driver himself has revealed his long-term future at the team he joined in 2019 is also not secure.

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“No, there are no talks ongoing now, at least,” Leclerc told Sky Sports, with his contract running out at the end of next year. “I love the red colour. I love Ferrari. I am happy here. But we’ll see what the future holds. It is very early to speak about this. My contract ends [at the end of 2024].”

His words are likely to alert Red Bull and Mercedes. The Silver Arrows currently have the all-British pairing of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, but the former’s future in the sport has long been the subject of speculation. The seven-time world champion turned 38 last month.

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And there is also uncertainty over the viability of Verstappen’s Red Bull partnership with Sergio Perez. The pair had an explosive fallout at the Brazilian Grand Prix last year after the already-crowned champion refused to give up a place to Perez as he bid to catch Leclerc in the Championship.

Like Leclerc, Perez has a deal which runs until the end of 2024. Daniel Ricciardo is currently waiting in the wings behind him, having been signed on as the Red Bull reserve driver for 2023.

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