Charles Leclerc and Ferrari is a story that has never come to fruition so far. However, it seems like the two are not yet ready to give up on each other. It is rumored that Charles has agreed to a contract extension with the team after the 2024 season. Carlos Sainz is reported to be looking for a similar contract to extend his stay as well.
Following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, the teams and drivers are on their summer break. During the summer break, there are usually a lot of rumors going around about the drivers and their contracts, personal lives, etc.
RUMOUR 🚨| Charles Leclerc has already negotiated a contract renewal with Ferrari. It is a 2+3 contract, valid once the current one expires.
Sainz has asked for the same contract extension, but negotiations are ongoing.
Sainz Sr is very active in considering other teams,…
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) August 1, 2023
The latest rumor is that Charles Leclerc has already signed a contract extension with Ferrari that will see him drive for the team until the end of 2029. His current contract is expiring after the 2024 season. The rumors state that he has signed a 2+3 year extension.
This basically means that Leclerc and Ferrari have secured a two-year deal with the option of extending it by another three years. Ferrari’s other driver, Carlos Sainz, is also seeking a similar type of deal with the Italian Constructor.
Should Carlos Sainz stay with Ferrari after 2024?
Carlos Sainz’s current contract will keep him with Ferrari until the 2024 season. However, over the last couple of years, Sainz has been openly criticizing and doubting the team’s strategy calls through the team radio. So is staying with Ferrari the sensible decision for Carlos Sainz?
If Sainz decides to stay with Ferrari, he will be a second driver to Charles Leclerc. Ferrari has often given Charles an advantage over Carlos. This may indicate that Sainz’s chances of winning a Championship are slimmer than Leclerc’s.
When looking at other options for the Spanish driver, his father, Carlos Sainz Sr. is looking at Alpine as an option. Alpine is currently going through a structural change in its leadership. Many of their key employees have either left the organization or have been sacked.
🚨 RUMOUR: Carlos Sainz to join Audi F1 Team in 2026! 🇪🇸
Sainz isn't really happy at Scuderia Ferrari and his dad has very good contacts to Audi because of his time in Rallye Dakar 🇸🇦
— srl_kento (@KentoSRL) July 24, 2023
Another option for Carlos Sainz Jr. is Audi Motorsport. Sauber (currently Alfa Romeo) is set to become Audi Motorsport from the 2026 season onwards. Carlos Sainz Sr. has already been affiliated with the team during the 2023 Dakar Rally, and his pushing his son to join the soon-to-be Formula 1 team as well.
Audi is expecting to challenge for the championship soon after they join. In this case, Carlos Sainz would be their star driver. The target for the 2nd seat is rumored to be Mick Schumacher if he can get enough experience before the 2026 season.
Will Charles Leclerc be able to win a Championship with Ferrari?
The current run is Ferrari’s longest without winning a Championship. The last Championship was won in 2007 by Kimi Raikkonen. Until the 2010s, there has not been a single decade where Ferrari has not won a Championship. If they fail to do so in the next 7 years, two decades would have gone by without a championship.
There is no doubt that Charles Leclerc wants to win a Championship with Ferrari. However, the team has been struggling a lot since the 2020 season. They came close to winning a Championship in 2018 with Sebastian Vettel. They once again looked promising in the early stages of the 2022 season. However, the team had so many reliability and communication issues that they were unable to capitalize on their impressive start to the 2022 season.
Charles joined Ferrari in 2019 to drive alongside Sebastian Vettel. The next year, Ferrari suffered a major performance deficit. This deficit affected the team in the 2021 season as well. In 2022, they finally overcame this deficit and were able to put in some good performances.
In 2023, although they have the second fastest car on paper, they are not able to provide good results on a consistent basis. Ferrari is currently being outperformed by Mercedes and McLaren. Even Aston Martin is ahead of the Italian Constructor in the WCC table.
As Charles Leclerc is preparing for his next contract with Ferrari. There is a doubt if the team will be able to help him win a championship, given their weakness in communication and strategy. Let’s see if Ferrari can actually pull it off by developing their car and improving the overall team.