Ferrari and Mercedes were expected to return to their best this season after problematic campaigns last year.
Ferrari struggled with reliability and strategy issues whist Mercedes were plagued with a porpoising issue and general lack of competitiveness.
At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix it was proved that Mercedes have made the wrong choice with the car concept already this season, with the team slipping behind Aston Martin to become the fourth fastest team on the grid.
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that the team chose not to listen to his advice last season and with the Brit stalling on a contract extension, it has been rumoured that he could depart the Silver Arrows at the end of this season.
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The 38-year-old has admitted multiple times that he is a fan of Ferrari and has always wanted to driver for the team and the opportunity could arise at the end of this year.
Charles Leclerc was forced to retire from the season opener in Bahrain with a power unit issue, suggesting that Ferrari have been unable to solve the reliability issues which hindered them so badly last year.
The Scuderia also struggled massively with tyre degradation, seeing the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso cruise past the sliding Carlos Sainz into the podium places.
Many members of Ferrari staff are on the verge of jumping ship following this poor start to the season and Leclerc has requested a crisis meeting with Ferrari president John Elkann to express his concerns.
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With the 25-year-old’s contract running down, it has been rumoured that Leclerc could make a move to Mercedes should Ferrari continue to let him down.
With Hamilton linked to Ferrari and Leclerc linked to Mercedes a swap would be the obvious solution, with both drivers reportedly looking for a way out of their current teams.
Both drivers have been very firm with the media, telling reporters that they are not actively looking to make a move next season but when ‘silly season’ approaches in Formula 1, anything can happen.