'Vasseur urges Ferrari to give Leclerc a new contract'

Charles Leclerc still has a contract through 2024 at Ferrari, but the Italian arm of Motorsport.com knows to report that Frederic Vasseur has extending his contract high on the priority list.

In 2023, Ferrari will start the Formula 1 season with a new team boss. In 2022, the team had a good car over one lap, but went wrong too often in terms of tyre management, strategy and driver performance. As a result, Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing ran away with the titles too easily.

Under Vasseur, that should start to change at the Maranello-based stable, but for that, certainty is also important. Whereas Red Bull and McLaren have committed their big crown jewels, Verstappen (2028) and Lando Norris (2025), for longer, Leclerc's contract expires at the end of 2024. This could potentially put an end to the partnership.

According to the Italian medium, Vasseur has decided to extend Leclerc's contract as soon as possible so that he cannot be snatched away by the competition. Leclerc made some personal mistakes in 2022, but is still considered one of the biggest talents in F1 by the outside world.

The biggest danger could come from Mercedes. That has a young talent in the car with George Russell, but Lewis Hamilton' s contract expires at the end of 2023. Should that spot become vacant, the German racing stable's eyes could well be on the Monaco talent. Besides a new contract, Ferrari will also have to improve considerably as a team in 2023 if Leclerc is to turn down such an offer then.