From the outside, it isn’t really a crisis that seems to be brewing within the Ferrari camp. But with the benefit of hindsight, arguably their no. 1 man, Charles Leclerc knows better than most. Last year, in 2022, he finally had the car that his talents deserved. But the Prancing Horse let the 25-year-old down, as a series of inexplicable mistakes ruined their title bid against the might of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
When the 2023 season rolled on, it was yet another chance for the team to regroup, consolidate and break that title drought. That being said, their season couldn’t have started off on a worse note. In Bahrain, last week, the team from Maranello had a race to forget. Firstly, the pace of the SF-23 was nowhere close to the RB19. Both Ferrari drivers lagged almost a second a lap to the Bulls. To make matters worse, Leclerc’s power unit gave up mid-race as he retired with 17 laps to go.
It’s just race one, but it would appear that the Monegasque has had enough. Reports emerging out of Ferrari don’t seem too appetizing for the Tifosi, and the man Leclerc should report to, Frederic Vasseur.
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As per Express UK, “It seems as though Leclerc feels particularly aggrieved, with Gazzetta dello Sport claiming that the Monegasque driver wrote to Ferrari chiefs to request a crunch meeting with chief executive John Elkann in the aftermath of last weekend’s Grand Prix.”
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Leclerc had made himself very clear before the season began, as to his expectations from the team. But in light of recent events, where do Leclerc’s loyalties lie?
Mercedes smack their lips as Charles Leclerc potentially becomes available
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When you think about Charles Leclerc, he seems to be a Ferrari man, through and through. He’s even said it in as many words on multiple occasions before. Be that as it may, nothing is set in stone in the F1 paddock.
According to Express UK, “The 25-year-old remains under contract with the Prancing Horse until the end of 2024 but has recently been linked with a potential move to Mercedes in the not-too-distant future amid the uncertainty over Lewis Hamilton‘s long-term future with the German team.”
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Is Leclerc’s move justified, or has the Ferrari ace jumped the gun and created further discord within the team?