Charles Leclerc is ‘stuck’ at Ferrari even if Lewis Hamilton retires

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has been at the centre of speculation in the drivers’ market, as rumours circulate that he could be set to leave the Italian team.

Former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has dismissed rumours that Charles Leclerc could be set to imminently depart Ferrari, believing the Monegasque will remain at his team for the foreseeable future.

Leclerc has been linked to a move to Mercedes amid ongoing speculation that Lewis Hamilton could be set to vacate his seat for another team or, even, retirement from Formula 1.

However, with Hamilton recently declaring his loyalty to Mercedes and intention to remain at the team after the end of the season, Leclerc’s changes of leaving Ferrari appear increasingly unlikely.

Leclerc could potentially move to Red Bull should the title-leaders decide to find a new partner for Max Verstappen but that isn’t expected to happen given the dominance of the current partnership of the Dutchman and Sergio Perez.

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Together, Verstappen and Perez have won every race of the season, including the Sprint in Baku, thanks to the performance advantage the RB19 holds over the rest of the field.

Leclerc’s contract with Ferrari is due to expire at the end of the 2024 season, with Hill claiming the Monegasque is “rather stuck at Ferrari for a bit.”

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“He’s never really been in an extended campaign for the championship. There have been moments that it’s been good and then they’ve faded, and he’s also had these blots on his copybook with qualifying, the banzai lap that goes wrong.

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“When you look around at the top teams, who they have in their teams, they’re probably content with what they’ve got at the moment – I’m not sure that there’s anywhere else for him to go.”

Leclerc seems to have accepted he won’t be leaving Ferrari this year, claiming that he is fully focused on his work at the Italian constructor.