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“2024 is a long time away”: Charles Leclerc may consider Ferrari for Mercedes exit if strategy blunders persist

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"2024 is a long time away": Charles Leclerc may consider Ferrari for Mercedes exit if strategy blunders persist

Charles Leclerc has been in the Ferrari ranks for the entirety of his F1 career. He even won the 2017 F2 World Championship as a junior for the Scuderia, before joining Sauber in F1 the next year. After spending just a year with the Hinwil-based outfit, Leclerc was called up by Ferrari.

So far, Leclerc has won five races with Ferrari, who have failed to provide him with a car that can compete for the Championship. The start of the 2022 season gave some optimism and the Tifosi, but performance soon faded and they began showing cracks in reliability. However, the biggest talking point of their 2o22 season was undoubtedly their strategy.

Over the course of the campaign, the Maranello squad made multiple blunders in the strategy department. This forced Leclerc to give up on a lot of points to Max Verstappen in the crucial early stages of the season. This raised questions over Leclerc’s loyalty to Ferrari, even though the 25-year-old has stated that being with the prancing horses is a dream for him.

Also read: Haas explain why Mick Schumacher was stopped from doing donuts at 2022 Abu Dhabi GP

Charles Leclerc may leave Ferrari if they underdeliver consistently

Ferrari is the most successful and one of the most widely supported F1 teams of all time.  However, they have been underperforming for the last decade and a half. Their last Drivers’ Champion was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and they took home the team’s Title in 2008.

If Ferrari doesn’t live up to their game soon, their star driver Leclerc may consider leaving Maranello. After the disappointing end to 2022, rumors have linked the Monegasque driver to Mercedes and he refused to rule them completely.

“2024 is a long time away,” he said according to GP blog. “And there is still time left at Ferrari. Being at this team has always been my dream. My objective at the moment is to win with Ferrari. Then we’ll see.”

Leclerc finished the 2022 F1 season in 2nd place, 146 points behind Verstappen. He only managed to hold onto the P2 position at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, with Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez breathing down his neck.

Also read: Alpine boss claims $15.6 million year investment is faster than their 2022 reserve driver Oscar Piastri

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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