This year, Ferrari claimed their first major crown in motorsports since 2008, but it wasn’t in Formula 1. It was their Le Mans team that achieved what executive chairman John Elkann labeled as an ‘unforgettable win’. BusinessF1 now reports that Ferrari might deploy their F1 star Charles Leclerc- who is close to signing a $198,500,000 extension with the team- to Le Mans, in order to continue winning.
The Tifosi finally had something to cheer about this year after years of being disappointed with their performances as the AF Corse car came home to win the 24 hours of Le Mans. It was a huge deal for the Maranello-based outfit and even Leclerc was present trackside to celebrate this monumental occasion.
James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi did an impressive job to bring home their Number 51 Ferrari in first place. However, Ferrari wants to continue this achievement and for this, they might think of having Leclerc and Carlos Sainz pair up for next year’s race.
Charles Leclerc in Le Mans?
According to a recent report by BusinessF1, for Elkann, a Le Mans victory is equivalent to winning an F1 world championship. Therefore, he would be ready to go all in to continue this run and try to win again next year. For this, Ferrari might decide to deploy Leclerc and Sainz in next year’s edition of Le Mans. This won’t be something new, as Ferrari used to have their F1 drivers suit up for Le Mans back in the sixties.
Running a successful World Endurance Championship project provides Ferrari with several benefits. Because the WEC has no cost cap, the top engineering talents and personnel that Ferrari loses from their cost cap bound F1 project are simply transferred to the WEC team. F1 developments can simply tested under the WEC program and then transferred back to the F1 team.
Even though these rumors suggest that Leclerc and Sainz may get a shot at driving in Le Mans, the latter may miss out on his opportunity. This is because his loyalty to Ferrari has recently come under a lot of scrutiny.
Carlos Sainz getting cozy with Audi?
Several reports have stated that Carlos Sainz has signed a pre-contract with Audi, before their entry into the sport. The current contract of the Spaniard ends in 2024. Because he is unsure about his role at Ferrari, Sainz may be looking elsewhere to continue his F1 career.
Audi will make their grand entry in Formula 1 in 2026 alongside Sauber as their partner. Ever since they announced their plans for an F1 entry, it has been speculated that they might try to recruit Sainz as their driver because of their connections with his father Carlos, Sainz Sr. who drives for their rally team.
However, nothing is concrete yet and as per Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari aren’t worried about driver contracts at the moment. Their main aim is to get their car back at the top, in F1 where it belongs.
