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Leclerc laughs at rumoured megadeal with Ferrari: 'Wish I did'
- GPblog.com
Charles Leclerc has been driving for Ferrari since 2019, but in those five seasons the Monegasque has never fought for the world title. Yet he is only focused on winning with Ferrari. A departure is not on the cards, even as talks with Ferrari about a contract extension are a while away.
Frederic Vasseur said it back in January - his first week as Ferrari team boss - Leclerc and Carlos Sainz need not count on contract negotiations for the time being. The French replacement for Mattia Binotto indicated that the formation from Maranello had other priorities. Talks were therefore held off in the first half of the season, but even as the end of the season approaches, Leclerc and Ferrari have not yet discussed a new commitment.
Rumours prove nonsense
And that while Ferrari is hugely satisfied with the 25-year-old driver's work. Rumours that Leclerc had already secretly signed a five-year contract worth £150 million are therefore dismissed. Only at a later date will Leclerc and his team sit down with Vasseur and Ferrari.
"I wish I did this deal because it looks like a good deal", Leclerc laughs at GP Racing. "But there are no new deals and no discussion whatsoever. But at some point we’ll definitely have those discussions. My intentions are clear. And then on the team side, I don’t know, but I’m not too worried either. But it’s not a priority for now. We just want to try and work as much as possible on the car to get back to where we were last year, which was to fight for wins. Then we’ll see. But at the end of the season, for sure, we’ll have those discussions."
Leclerc is patient
Leclerc's current contract runs until 2024, so there is no need to reach an agreement within weeks. At the same time, though, things do seem to be happening in the driver market, as many other drivers are still fixed until 2024 and so teams may be able to look at other attractive options early on.
Isn't Ferrari worried that another team will snatch Leclerc away? "Honestly, I’m not concerned. If I was worried, I probably would have started the discussion early. But I’m not too worried. It’ll be all fine. Basically, we don’t speak to each other about this. Both of us have decided that way and I think it’s the right way. As I said, there’s no rush. I don’t even have any deadlines," said the current world number six.