Ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Charles Leclerc moving to Aston Martin would be “logical”, should he opt to leave Ferrari at the end of next season.
Leclerc is currently contracted to the Italians until the end of 2024; however, it’s unknown yet whether he’s happy to sign a contract extension.
Based on the team’s start to 2023, many would question why he’d want to stay, given the number of communication issues there’s been between the Maranello-based outfit and Leclerc.
The most recent occurred on Saturday at the Canadian Grand Prix, where Leclerc was eliminated in Q2 after setting a banker lap on Intermediate tyres, despite the track having been suitable for the Softs.
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Leclerc wanted the Soft compound but opted to follow his team’s instructions, something which cost him a place in Q3.
There have been other cases of miscommunication over recent races, whilst the car itself has been worryingly inconsistent.
He embarrassingly qualified 19th at the Spanish Grand Prix due to finding the car undrivable; however, no physical issue was ever discovered by the team.
Ferrari’s issues have seen them fall behind both Mercedes and shockingly Aston Martin, whilst Red Bull continue to lead the way.
With Red Bull and Mercedes both having a seemingly unbreakable driver pairing for the time being, Schumacher has highlighted Aston Martin as an option for Leclerc.
Should the Silverstone-based team want to fight for championships going forward, then Lance Stroll must start to perform to Fernando Alonso’s level, something he’s struggled to do.
This was highlighted in Canada, with Stroll having finished his home race in ninth, whilst Alonso finished second to secure his sixth podium of 2023.
Should Stroll fail to improve, then Aston Martin could look to Leclerc to partner the two-time World Champion.
“So far, there have only been Mercedes and Red Bull as potential options,” Schumacher told Sky Germany.
“Mercedes is not quite as current at the moment, and it’s safe to assume that Hamilton will continue there.
“But I believe a strong candidate is also Aston Martin, as they also need to look around. Fernando Alonso will have another year after that. Who knows, [Lawrence Stroll’s] son doesn’t fulfil the season goals, they may need to bring in another strong driver for the future, building alongside Fernando Alonso.
“Accordingly, that would be a logical possibility for Charles Leclerc, also considering the Honda partnership eventually.”
Leclerc was recently linked to Mercedes, following reports that he’d been holding secret conversations with team boss Toto Wolff.
Leclerc denied that he’d spoke to Wolff, whilst he stressed that his “main priority” is to become a World Champion with Ferrari, something he’s “fully committed” to achieving.
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“It has always been a dream for me to be in this team and my main priority is to win a world championship with this team,” Leclerc said, as reported by PlanetF1.com.
“So it’s not something in my mind. I’m fully committed to Ferrari and I love Ferrari.
“There have been] zero [talks with Toto Wolff.] Zero. Really zero,” Leclerc claimed. “You all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise.”