Charles Leclerc has endured a very challenging start to the 2023 season with Ferrari, off the back of his championship disappointment last year.
Driver errors and strategy woes have resulted in Leclerc failing to match Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz this campaign, and his frustration appears to be growing race by race.
Given his situation at Ferrari, it has recently been speculated that Leclerc’s most “logical” move would be to join Aston Martin, given the fact that Red Bull and Mercedes are unlikely to have a vacant seat in the near future.
1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill believes Fernando Alonso would leave Aston Martin, should the Silverstone-based team offer him “enough money”.
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Hill recently discussed what options Charles Leclerc has going forwards, should he wish to escape Maranello.
The Briton believes Aston Martin could be an option for him if the Silverstone-based team can get Alonso to leave, something which is incredibly unlikely to happen.
Alonso is currently contracted until the end of 2024, with him having already expressed his intent on potentially remaining with the team going into 2025 and beyond.
The Spaniard is leading the British team majestically as things stand, following six podiums from the opening eight races of 2023.
In comparison, team-mate Lance Stroll hasn’t claimed a single rostrum this year yet, with his best result being fourth at the Australian Grand Prix.
With his father owning team though, Stroll isn’t likely to leave Aston Martin anytime soon, meaning if Aston Martin were to sign Leclerc, it’d have to be to replace Alonso.
Leclerc’s future at Ferrari has been questioned, following another outburst by the 25-year-old after qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix.
He was furious with Ferrari for having made him set a banker lap on the Intermediates, despite the circuit having boasted a visible dry line.
Leclerc was keen to be put on the Softs; however, when he was eventually put onto the right compound by Ferrari, the rain started to fall again.
As a result, he was eliminated in Q2, ending his hopes of finishing on the rostrum.
Had he progressed to Q3 then he would’ve been a contender for the win, as he had excellent race pace.
Leclerc recovered to finish fourth at the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve, highlighting how strong he would’ve been if he’d qualified better.
Like Alonso, Leclerc is contracted until the end of 2024, meaning a switch to Aston Martin could perhaps happen in 2025.
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Should Ferrari get on top of their miscommunication issues and sort the SF-23’s inconsistency then Leclerc won’t have a reason to leave Ferrari; however, Hill has noted that if he does deserve to leave, there aren’t many options available.
“What options are there [for Leclerc]? There aren’t any,” Hill told Express Sport.
“I suppose he could look at Aston Martin but I think Fernando’s got a two-year contract with them anyway. I think he’d probably step aside if they paid him enough money, but I don’t think he wants to give up a competitive drive.”