Charles Leclerc’s future at Ferrari might be in doubt after a challenging start to the Formula 1 season but former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill believes the Monegasque might be “stuck” at the team.
After five founds, Leclerc is languishing in seventh place in the Drivers’ Standings following two early DNFs, leaving him with just 34 points, far behind the title leader.
While Leclerc battled hard with Max Verstappen last season, the Dutchman has pulled far ahead of his 2022 rival this season, leading the title battle with 119 points.
Amid the challenging season, Leclerc has been at the centre of a rumoured driver swap with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, something both the Monegasque and Brit have played down.
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Hill, who took home the Drivers’ trophy in 1996, believes that, with Hamilton keen to remain at Mercedes, Leclerc could be “stuck” at Ferrari until, at least, the end of his contract next year.
“I think he’s rather stuck at Ferrari for a bit,” Hill told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“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.
“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.
“Red Bull, I doubt it. Mercedes, I’m sure that Toto [Wolff] will be sticking with Lewis until Lewis decides that he’s not going to race anymore, and I think Charles is the perfect fit for Ferrari.
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“So I think he’s there for the long term, until they give him a car that he can go for a championship with.”
Ferrari were hoping to but on an impressive performance for their home fans at Imola this weekend but the event has been cancelled amid deadly flooding in the region.
Formula 1 officials took the step to cancel the weekend’s events following consultation with regional officials and authorities in Italy, with teams and drivers backing the move due to the dangerous situation ongoing in Emilia-Romagna.