At the end of of the 2024 season, both of the Ferrari drivers’ contracts are scheduled to expire. The main question is to see if they intend to continue their career with the Italian F1 team.
Apparently, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s passionate loyalty to one another is stronger than ever, and the 26-year-old driver is hell-bent to make sure he gets his first world title in a red suit. Given that his current contract is set to expire at the end of 2024, Scuderia Ferrari have reportedly secured a long-term agreement that means Leclerc will stay with the Maranello-based team for another five seasons. He could end up earning 50 million a year, double what he’s currently on. However, exit clauses will certainly be in his contract as well.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
This reminds us of a similar decision that team principal Mattia Binotto made in 2019, when the Monegasque driver first joined the team and signed a five-year contract.
The situation as a whole, however, didn’t play out the way he imagined it would, in the very beginning. For it was simply that Leclerc, an exciting young Formula 1 driver who had impressed with victories at Spa and Monza in his maiden season at the Scuderia, faced plenty of terrifying ups and downs throughout his career, and so far has failed to achieve winning the championship title he has been dreaming of for a very long time in red.
Still, it seems as though the Monegasque’s love and loyalty to the red team that he always cheered for since he was a little child is stronger than every single one of the heartbreaks he had to face during his F1 career.
Charles Leclerc has chosen to stand by Frédéric Vasseur’s vision, alongside whom he made his F1 breakthrough in his rookie season at Alfa Romeo.
This shows that Leclerc is fully invested in Ferrari and has absolutely no interest in taking Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes when the Brit decides to retire. Realising the value of a Ferrari victory was, without hesitation, an important aspect.
President John Elkann has made it clear that the 26-year-old will play a critical role in the future of Ferrari.
Thanks to the new technical regulation designed around hybrid engine units with increased electrical power, Ferrari hopes to try to close the gap with the highly strong Red Bulls by the 2025 season so they can potentially usurp them for the world championship in 2026.
Meanwhile, the extension of Carlos Sainz, who has raced together with Leclerc for the previous three seasons and whose contract also expires at the end of 2024, remains a topic of discussion.
It’s a wait and see process to find out if the Spaniard’s and the team’s wishes are compatible. The Spaniard is not willing to separate ways with his team just yet, asking for a two-year contract; however Ferrari might be looking elsewhere for any opportunities to sign another driver, perhaps Lando Norris, whose contract with McLaren expires in 2025.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
That being the case, Sainz won’t be short of any opportunities to land a prominent position as well. Possible alternatives include his previous team McLaren, or Red Bull, if Sergio Perez leaves, he might pair up with Max Verstappen, whom he partnered with in 2015 at Toro Rosso.
Besides, in 2026, Audi will enter the sport, and they will surely want to look for an experienced driver in to declare their new brand’s F1 debut in a spectacular way. In such a case, Sainz could be the best possible option.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
