Leclerc the leader of Ferrari: who will be his teammate in 2025?

Ferrari have extended Charles Leclerc's contract. The Monegasque is staying for at least until 2026. The big question is who will be his teammate. Is Carlos Sainz the ideal pair, or will Ferrari look for a replacement? An analysis of the options for Ferrari.

What is the situation at Ferrari?

Ferrari have made no secret of its desire to extend the expiring contracts of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Whereas it worked out for one, closing the deal with Sainz is a bit trickier. The Spaniard is in a luxury position and will want to wait and see with the deal on the table.

It is no secret that Leclerc is the preferred driver within Ferrari. For years, Leclerc has shown great potential to eventually grow into a world champion. At 26, Leclerc is also of age and so Ferrari, led by Vasseur, is betting on the Monegasque. Sainz also knows that. Who performs consistently, gets a little better every year, but is simply not the man who will ultimately lead Ferrari to the world title.

That would also be reflected in Ferrari's offer. Leclerc could re-sign a multi-year deal, Sainz has to make do with a shorter one. Understandable given his age, but it also makes sense for Sainz to keep his options open. As mentioned, he has plenty of choices for 2025.

What kind of driver do Ferrari need?

With Leclerc, who is fixed at least until 2026, Ferrari have their intended front-runner. Ferrari have traditionally been a team that opt for a leader and a second man alongside. Vasseur seems to have a hand in that too if you look at his time at Alfa Romeo. Whether he will continue that trend at Ferrari remains to be seen.

One thing is certain: Ferrari cannot hand out two mega contracts either. Although the drivers' contracts do not fall under the budget cap and Ferrari will certainly not pay a pittance, it is not financially or sportingly sensible for any team to have two captains on the ship.

Besides Leclerc, you need a stable driver. A driver who has proven to be fast, can perform consistently and makes few (big) mistakes. A driver who is not so fast that Leclerc starts to hesitate, but is just fast enough to challenge Leclerc and make the car better together. A calm and stable character is a plus alongside the emotional Leclerc.

Who is Leclerc's ideal teammate?

The first name to roll out of the hatbox is, logically, that of Carlos Sainz. It is not surprising that Ferrari want to keep the Spaniard. Sainz meets all the requirements, knows the team and is the personification of a model pro. Sainz is fast, consistent, stable and an ideal figurehead for Ferrari. However, Sainz wants to become world champion himself and the question is whether he will succeed at Ferrari alongside Leclerc.

Should Sainz leave, Alexander Albon seems the ideal successor. Albon logically struggled against Max Verstappen in his first and second year in F1, but is now proving to be Williams' ideal leader. Albon himself has admitted to feeling ready for a move to the top and was a Ferrari fan as a child. Red Bull Racing may also apply for the Thai driver, but what if Ferrari knock on the door?

Albon fits exactly into the picture of the ideal man next to Leclerc. Albon is fast, has a calm nature and has enough experience to drive pretty much flawlessly at the front for Ferrari. Albon will also not have huge contract demands on the table if he is allowed to make the switch to Ferrari.

Another candidate also comes from Red Bull's stable: Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman fell short at Red Bull Racing, but was a clear leader for Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri. Even in his first year for Alpine, the Frenchman made a good impression by immediately beating Esteban Ocon in the duel between them. Gasly is a bit more emotional though and perhaps still has a bit too many peaks and troughs for a top team like Ferrari.

Red Bull Racing's current driver could also be an option for Ferrari. Sergio Perez will obviously be aiming for a longer stay at Red Bull, but should the Mexican be replaced there, he is also a candidate for Ferrari. Perez has held his own nicely alongside Max Verstappen for a few years now, has the experience and has calmed down over the years. Perez also brings a lot of knowledge from Red Bull, which could be valuable for Ferrari. However, at 35, Perez will no longer be the youngest driver on the grid in early 2025.

The same goes for the three other options that remain. Daniel Ricciardo (34), Nico Hulkenberg (36) and Valtteri Bottas (34) have all proven to have the speed in the past. Yet it won't necessarily get better with age. Ricciardo is a big fan of Ferrari, an ideal signboard for your brand, but he was not exactly convincing in 2023 against Yuki Tsunoda and, before that, alongside Lando Norris.

Valtteri Bottas also seems to have regressed in recent years. The Finn can still be fast, but is also busy these days with things outside F1. For the Stake F1 driver, it remains to be seen at all whether he will ever want to return to a role as a second driver after his time alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Nico Hulkenberg is always mentioned in this kind of list, but at 36 he is no longer the youngest. Hulkenberg proved again in 2023 that he really is fast, but being fair: his chances of getting a seat at a top team in F1 really do seem to be over.

Who should become Leclerc's teammate in 2025?

For Ferrari, the best scenario would be a contract extension for Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard meets all the requirements, but the Italians do not have to go all out to keep Sainz. Indeed, with Alexander Albon, an ideal replacement will enter the market at the end of 2024, and Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly may not be much inferior to Sainz either. So Sainz has a luxury position, but so do Ferrari.