Formula 1 race winner is now deliberately playing a ‘game’ with Ferrari in the driver market

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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has voiced his concerns about the team’s performance this season as another campaign passes him by without being a championship contender.

Charles Leclerc has finished second in the drivers’ championship already in his F1 career.

However, it’s hard to suggest that he had a chance of winning the title in 2022 when he finished 146 points behind Max Verstappen.

Ferrari looked like they would be in contention for both titles this year after narrowly missing out on the constructors’ championship last season.

Unfortunately, Fred Vasseur’s team went in the wrong direction with their car development over the winter break, and Ferrari’s rear suspension update hasn’t had the desired impact on their performance.

This has led to dissatisfaction within the Monegasque driver’s camp, as after seven seasons with Ferrari, he’s still waiting for the team to help him unlock his full potential.

Leclerc has been linked with Mercedes among other teams since the Singapore Grand Prix, but a new theory has emerged from journalist Reginaldo Leme.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Charles Leclerc wants his ‘value’ at Ferrari recognised as Mercedes links emerge

Leme was asked on his YouTube channel about Leclerc’s future and the fact that he’s been linked with several other teams in the paddock.

They were discussing the fact that they didn’t see Hamilton going to Ferrari, but believe the Monegasque driver’s love for the team is beyond how the seven-time world champion felt about Mercedes.

He said: “Ferrari’s in his heart. It’s quite different [to Hamilton], that was always much more likely to happen.

“It was a surprise, it was a shock, but it was much more viable for him to leave.

“Where he was, even though he was also created by Mercedes, but it was a situation where the team was in decline at that moment.

“And if an opportunity arose, he would have accepted it, even if it wasn’t Ferrari, but with Ferrari, even better.

“Now that Leclerc is reportedly looking to leave Ferrari, it seems like a game of charades to me.

“It’s to increase his value. He has a contract; it’s not a matter of increasing his contract value, but it’s about reaffirming that he’s a Ferrari driver.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to Hamilton’s eventual departure, whether that’s this year or next, bringing in who knows who? A Verstappen, for example.

I think he’s in a good position with Mercedes starting in 2027, but if Ferrari hire him, he would be in direct competition with Leclerc, and that would strengthen his position.”

Leme concluded that he ‘didn’t see’ Leclerc racing for any other team other than Ferrari, despite his recent dissatisfaction.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari keep repeating the same mistake that could make Charles Leclerc question his future

The last time Ferrari won the constructors’ championship was in 2008, when Hamilton won his first title with McLaren.

Kimi Raikkonen’s triumph in 2007 remains the most recent individual triumph for a Ferrari driver, something Leclerc is desperate to change.

However, Felipe Massa’s former race engineer, Rob Smedley, has warned about the repeated mistakes Ferrari can make when they’re under pressure to succeed.

Leclerc will recognise these from his time working with the team, although Hamilton has tried to implement advice from his time at Mercedes to try and change the working culture within the team.

It’s hard to imagine Leclerc driving for another team on the grid, but next season’s regulation changes are expected to have a major impact on the driver market.

Considering that Oscar Piastri has been linked to Ferrari while leading the drivers’ championship with McLaren, anything could happen next season.