Formula 1 is the most expensive sport to get into in the world. But once a racer makes it here and proves his worth, money literally grows on trees. Within this hyper-expensive sport, getting a Ferrari seat is an even elusive achievement. With this achievement comes a multi-million dollar contract, like Charles Leclerc‘s $204 million one. He edged a driver of Lewis Hamilton‘s caliber for this deal. Despite doing that, his recent statements at Zandvoort give a very ambiguous picture of the renewal.

A couple of days into the summer break, the Monegasque was reported to sign a 5-year, $204 million contract with Ferrari for post-2024. That also meant that Hamilton, who was a contender for that seat, got snubbed. It has been almost a month since that but there has been no official word from either him or the Maranello outfit announcing a renewal. Judging by his statements in the media, there might be none at least, in the short term.

Ahead of the Dutch GP, Leclerc was asked about the much-talked-about near-quarter of a million deal with Ferrari. Jokingly (but with the inner disappointment that comes with being a Ferrari driver), he told the media, “I wish I did this deal because it looked like I did a good deal! But no, there are no new deals and no discussions whatsoever. But at one point, we’ll definitely have those discussions.”

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By the looks of it, Ferrari doesn’t look quite decisive in finalizing who they want driving for them in the long term. But for Leclerc, on a personal level, all he can do is focus on the present. And the present involves getting back up the championship ladder.

Charles Leclerc evades contract talks to focus on fighting for victory

Wretched is how you can describe Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s performance this season. Apart from a few good showings, they have been left scrambling to settle for a low points finish. Amid all this, thinking about extending his stay at the Maranello stable might be a tough thing. Instead of doing that, he has shifted his attention to being good enough to fight for race wins again.

“For now, we just want to try and work as much as possible on the car to get back to where we were last year, which was to fight for wins, and then we’ll see,” stressed the Monegasque. “But at the end of the season for sure we’ll have those discussions (contract talks)”

With all teams ready and energized to give it their all after a refreshing summer break, will Leclerc be able to come out on top?

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