$24 Million Salaried Charles Leclerc Could Snub Pay Raise from Ferrari; Claims Red Bull Chief

Charles Leclerc is probably the hottest talent Ferrari owns. The Monegasque race driver has served the Italian-based team since 2019 and has long been touted as the future world champion.

So much so that he is currently earning $24 million from Ferrari and is among the highest-paid drivers on the grid, but his contract with them will end up at the end of the next year. And as reports over his extension are coming out, it’s being suggested that Leclerc‘s patience with Ferrari is running out.

Ever since he joined the team, except for 2022, Leclerc has not got any serious contention to the title. Even last year, some of the major blunders by the team made him lose that title fight against Max Verstappen. So, the relationship between Ferrari and the Monegasque could change if things don’t improve from here with his current contract running out.

Charles Leclerc could snub Ferrari’s improved offer

With Leclerc’s contract exhausting, Ferrari would be eager to secure his services for the future. And they would have to confirm his commitment with the team now to keep the rivals away from poaching him. For that, Ferrari would have to provide him with a substantial pay raise and a better promise to the title contention.

However, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko believes that Leclerc would not extend his stay with Ferrari. He even believes Leclerc could leave before his contract with the Italian team gets over.

“Everyone knows about it, including in Maranello,” he wrote in his Quotidiano Nazionale column. “Leclerc understands that time is ticking and if Lewis Hamilton decides to leave, then Mercedes will want to get a champion-level driver to partner with George Russell.”

He would be having a performative clause

Marko suggests that if Hamilton decides to retire by the end of this season, then Leclerc would be quick to jump the board. But how can he leave his current team for Mercedes if he has one year in his contract remaining?

According to Marko, it’s not rare for drivers to have a performative clause in their contracts. So, even if Leclerc is tied with Ferrari till 2024, there is a possibility that the Monegasque could have the same clause and could trigger it.

In F1, loyalty often washes away for the hope of a title. The same happened with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren when he decided to leave them for Mercedes in pursuit of getting more titles. The same thing can be done by Leclerc, who for now has pledged his loyalty to the Tifosi.