Ferrari Chief’s Kin Leaks LeClerc to Ferrari Deal

Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s brother accidentally confirmed the Charles Leclerc to Ferrari rumours. A company owned by him, sent the Monegasque driver a congratulatory message on Facebook. However, that message was quickly scrapped before clarification was issued.

Garage Italia, an automotive customization company founded by Lapo Elkann, jumped the gun. With an official announcement still being anticipated any day now, Leclerc received the following message:

“Proud to have believed in you since the debut in @ f1,” read the Garage Italia post on Facebook.

“Proud to have accompanied you on the track, corner after corner. Happy to see you soon at the wheel of the Red @charles_leclerc “.

The company subsequently deleted the post and replaced it with another message in which it “hopes that the dream comes true!”

After a formative year in Formula 1 with Sauber and a string of impressive results, Leclerc is set to replace Kimi Raikkonen at the Scuderia, the Italian squad apparently following up on a deal to promote the Monegasque initially put together by former Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne.

Reports emerged earlier this week that Raikkonen was told of his fate at Monza last weekend by Ferrari’s Elkann, while the announcement of a deal with Leclerc is imminent.

So far, all parties have done their utmost to keep everything under wraps, but it feels like the worst kept secret. Raikkonen has had a successful 8 years with the Maranello outfit, even winning the championship in 2007. But now, the veteran Finn seems to have lost a little bit of his edge. From 2015 onwards, he was consistently beaten by Sebastian Vettel. But, it is only now, that he has begun to come into his own with the German. Unfortunately, it is possibly, too little, too late for the 38-year old as his days seem numbered.