Charles Leclerc told he will ‘have to leave’ Ferrari once he ‘understands’ one thing

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Charles Leclerc is very much a Ferrari man who sees the Scuderia as his family after a nine-year association, which has seen him race for the pride of Italy in F1 since 2019.

The Maranello squad first gained formal ties with Leclerc in 2016 when he joined the Ferrari Driver Academy ahead of winning the GP3 Series title in the Monegasque’s rookie term. The Scuderia’s backing also helped Leclerc to win the maiden Formula 2 title as a rookie in 2017.

Leclerc only needed one year at Sauber in the 2018 F1 season to move up to Ferrari in 2019, as well. The 27-year-old has since registered eight Grand Prix wins, 27 pole positions and 48 podiums, as well as a personal-best of second place in the F1 drivers’ championship in 2022.

Carlos Sainz’s ex-engineer, Francesco Cigarini, feels Ferrari “tamed” Leclerc over the years to refine his “explosive” potential that has led their work in six of his seven seasons in red so far. But Cigarini also sees the possible route that could see Leclerc leave Ferrari in the future.

Charles Leclerc will ‘have to leave’ Ferrari if he loses his ‘connection’ with the Scuderia

Leclerc’s £25m a year contract with Ferrari, which can increase to £29m with bonuses, locks him down in Maranello through 2029. Yet his deal includes release clauses that can free him after 2026, depending on his and the Scuderia’s performances with the 2026 F1 regulations.

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Cigarini even feels Leclerc will “have to leave” Ferrari if he ever loses the connection that he has built with the Scuderia over the last decade. But Cigarini does not believe that stage has arrived yet, with Leclerc still determined to secure Ferrari their first drivers’ title since 2007.

“Yes,” Cigarini told Formula1.it about the regret of not winning with Ferrari being much greater for Leclerc than never winning a title: “It depends on his situation within Ferrari.

“For example, if he manages to understand that the connection he once had isn’t there, at a certain point he’ll have to leave. But I don’t think that’s the case at this point.

“He has the lofty ambition of bringing the title to Ferrari, and he’s doing it for himself because it’s a path he wanted to take and has fully embraced.”

At the peak of the Scuderia’s problems earlier this term, it was reported in Italy that Leclerc no longer rules out leaving Ferrari amid interest from Mercedes at the stage when pressure was growing on team principal Fred Vasseur. Yet Vasseur later signed a new contract in July.

It is also said that Leclerc realises his chances of winning an F1 title for Ferrari are fading, no matter his love for the pride of Italy and viewing the Scuderia as his family. But Leclerc is not currently eyeing a move in the F1 driver market and actively offering himself to other teams.

Charles Leclerc may fear leaving Ferrari, only for the Scuderia to then win an F1 title

Ferrari will do everything they can to keep Leclerc if the Monegasque were to ever consider leaving the Scuderia, including potentially sacking a key staff member to keep him happy. He has substantial power behind the scenes in Maranello that is largely unrivalled in Formula 1.

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Cigarini believes Leclerc may also fear leaving Ferrari, only to then see the Scuderia return to the front of the order and win an F1 title without him. It was the same question that Cigarini had to ask himself before the Italian engineer quit the Scuderia at the end of the 2024 term.

Cigarini said: “He could be. But I think his thinking is, ‘What if I were to change teams, and in a year or two Ferrari put out the car I need to win the world championship?’ Then we need to see what options you have and how confident you are about those options.

“I asked myself the same question when I decided to leave, ‘What if the next one is the right one, and we get back to winning?’ But at a certain point, I made that decision.

“So, he could make the choice. I don’t see it as feasible for now. But I can tell you that I think the question people are asking is, ‘What if I finally leave [and] everything I want from the car will come the following year?’”