Charles Leclerc’s manager makes telling driver market claim amid Ferrari woes

Charles Leclerc could look to leave Ferrari after the conclusion of his current contract if the team is not competitive in 2026, his manager Nicolas Todt has suggested.

Todt told the Straits Times that Leclerc is “not a kid anymore” and therefore needs to be competing for a championship-worthy team — one with a “competitive car.”

Charles Leclerc on the lookout for new 2027 options?

Back when Charles Leclerc first joined the Scuderia Ferrari team in Formula 1, hopes were high. The young Monegasque driver was clearly a rising star, and his partnership with F1’s most storied team represented the fulfillment of every driver’s fantasy following one single season with Sauber.

In the past seven years, Leclerc has notched up eight victories with the Scuderia, taking a best finish of second in the World Drivers’ Championship back in 2022.

But there seems to be a growing rift in the relationship between the driver and team as Leclerc faces what could amount to another winless season.

Speaking to media after the Singapore Grand Prix, Leclerc confessed, “Unfortunately, we don’t have the race car to fight with the guys in front.

“McLaren always had the same gap on us compared to the beginning of the year. Red Bull did a step from Monza and are the same level of McLaren. Mercedes now is at the same level of McLaren and Red Bull.

“And then there’s us.

“It’s not easy, obviously, because you want to fight for better positions. But at the moment, it just feels like we are passengers to the car and we cannot extract much more.”

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Paired with some increasingly terse radio messages, it seems as if the longstanding partnership could come to a close — particularly if recent implications from Leclerc’s manager Todt are to be believed.

Speaking to the Straits Times newspaper during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Todt stated, “Charles is one of the best talents of his generation, along with Max Verstappen and other drivers.

“But he’s not a kid anymore. He’s been racing with Ferrari for many seasons. We need a winning car.”

Todt was also quoted as saying, “Today Ferrari has a good car, but not good enough to win the World Championship. We hope that this will happen soon. We hope that next year, with the new rules, Ferrari will have a competitive car.”

Leclerc, then, appears to be in a similar boat to the aforementioned Verstappen.

While the Dutch driver was rumored to be speaking with multiple teams in anticipation of a seat swap even as early as 2026, his decision to stay out his contract with Red Bull Racing through next season will allow him to ease into a new regulatory set with a familiar team while also keeping an eye on potential options for the future depending on which team emerges strongest.

In that vein, Todt said, “Many drivers will want to see how competitive the various teams are before deciding whether to stay or change teams. I expect a very hot market.”

The exact nature of Leclerc’s contract with Ferrari is unclear. In the early stages of 2024, he inked a “multi-year” renewal with the Scuderia that is said to include options that provide flexibility for both parties.

Many other drivers have similar arrangements — namely, they’ve signed a contract whose details are unspecified, which can make it challenging to speculate on what options could potentially remain open for Leclerc in 2027.

But one thing is certain: the pressure is on for Ferrari to develop a competitive car for the F1 2026 season.

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