“It’s Really a Coin Toss”: F1 Journalist Calls Charles Leclerc’s $54 Million a Huge Gamble on His Career

Charles Leclerc is slowly inching towards his contract renewal with Ferrari with the latest speculations suggesting that a $54 million deal has already been struck up between the two parties. However, in a recent video by The Race, F1 Journalist Edd Straw has called the move a huge gamble for Leclerc.

Straw explained that while a long-term deal with Ferrari looks great on paper, it is a huge risk since no one knows where the team would be in five years. He also claimed that it’s not just Ferrari, but penning down long-term deals is a risk in case of any and every team, including Red Bull.

Straw said, “It’s really really tough because you need to make these long term deals now in Formula 1. But you just don’t know what the landscape is going to be like in a couple of years, let alone five years time. It’s this incredible mix of risk and sensible and it’s really a coin toss as to whether this is a good move.”

Ferrari last won a championship in 2008, and it does not seem like they will be back at the top anytime soon. However, Leclerc has been involved with the team ever since his junior years and wears the Ferrari badge proudly.

Therefore, he wants to win the title with Ferrari and it won’t be a surprise if he decides to stick with the team. However, his teammate Carlos Sainz is facing a very different situation.

Charles Leclerc gets first priority over Carlos Sainz

Despite being the only non-Red Bull race winner in 2023, it seems like Leclerc still has first priority within the team. As per Italian media house Gazzetta dello Sport, Sainz was offered a one-year extension by Ferrari, which rubbed him the wrong way.

Pas de fumée blanche, du moins pour l’instant, en ce qui concerne Carlos Sainz. Le contrat de Sainz expire également fin 2024, mais dans ce cas – souligne La Gazzetta – il faudra voir si les souhaits du pilote espagnol et ceux de l’équipe coïncident.

— Scuderia Ferrari FRA (@FerrariF1FRA) December 3, 2023

It is understood that the Spaniard wants a longer deal of at least two-years, but not being offered that has prompted a conflict between the team and Sainz. This has opened up a path for Sainz to Audi, with previous reports suggesting that the German giants would be interested in Sainz.

The same report has also claimed that Ferrari might be eyeing Lando Norris. The Maranello outfit apparently wants to recruit the Briton after his contract with Mclaren ends in 2025. However, this option seems too far fetched and thus, Ferrari might just agree to Sainz’s terms.