26-year-old F1 driver admits he wouldn’t swap cars with anyone on the grid right now

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has admitted he wouldn’t want to swap seats with anyone else on the grid right now.

Leclerc was speaking to ESPN in the build-up to the penultimate race of the season this weekend.

The 2023 season has been a case of what could have been for Charles Leclerc.

His Ferrari has on occasion been as quick if not faster than the incredibly fast Red Bull this year.

The Monegasque driver has four pole positions to his name, with only Max Verstappen achieving more.

But he’s failed to convert any of those starts into race wins and his luck has been far from ideal all season.

A technical error saw him end up in the barriers before even taking the start in Brazil where he was in a great position to challenge Verstappen.

Even when he had the fastest car in Singapore, his team’s strategy meant he didn’t record a podium finish.

However, Leclerc has admitted he wouldn’t swap his seat at Ferrari with any other on the grid right now.

Whether he would still feel that way if offered the chance to drive Max Verstappen’s Red Bull is another matter.

Leclerc says he wouldn’t swap Ferrari seat right now

The 26-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of next year but he has no interest in thinking about moving to another team and said: “I don’t really think to that because Ferrari is so special and I wouldn’t change my position with anyone else on the grid.

“Do I want to win world championships? Of course, this is the same for everybody, but do I want to change my place with anyone? No, I don’t.

“I have spent a quarter of my life in the Ferrari family, which is quite a lot and that represents a lot to me too.

“You get to know lots of people inside the team, you get to understand how much it means to them to work for Ferrari and how much it means to them to get back to winning.

“I know that I feel the same way, I want to be back to winning as soon as possible.

“It’s a bit of a family feeling now, it’s been so many years I have been within the team, whether it is as an actual race driver for Ferrari or at the Ferrari Driver Academy in the years before.

“It’s been many years together and I want to finish the mission with a world championship.”

Ferrari now have to give their drivers a car that can compete across a whole weekend

The loyalty showed by Leclerc that he wouldn’t swap his drive at Ferrari for another team needs to be rewarded sooner rather than later.

Leclerc has shown that he’s one of if not the best qualifier on the grid right now.

However, his ability to convert those pole positions into race wins has been hampered by the pace of his car during long runs.

He’s also been the victim of some terrible strategy calls over the years.

His five career wins from 22 pole positions is a poor record and something that needs to improve over the years.

He’ll be hoping his luck changes in Las Vegas and the track should suit his Ferrari better than the likes of Aston Martin and McLaren.

Keeping up with Verstappen and his Red Bull is going to be easier said than done in 2024.