Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari celebrates his pole position in qualifying parc ferme. 28.04.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku Street Circuit, Azerbaijan, Qualifying Day.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has openly admitted that Charles Leclerc is on his “long-term” radar for a potential Formula 1 drive with the German outfit.
Leclerc’s Ferrari contract runs to the end of 2024 and his future has been the subject of intense speculation following the Scuderia’s difficult start to the season.
With Ferrari failing to sustain a challenge for the title in 2022 and not being in a position to fight for race wins early in the current campaign, Leclerc has been repeatedly linked with a move to Mercedes.
Rumours in the Italian media branded it an “open secret” the Monegasque was holding conversations with the Brackley team, and Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko suggested he would be surprised if Leclerc’s existing deal didn’t include an exit clause.
While Wolff has seemingly ruled out making a move for Leclerc now, the Austrian chief hasn’t dismissed the possibility of sounding him out for a future switch.
Asked about potential talks with Leclerc, Wolff issued to Sky Sports: “The only time I talked with him is when we discussed where the gate is in Melbourne to board the plane.
“Charles is a super guy and for the long-term future someone you have to have on your radar but not for the short and medium term.”
Although Leclerc failed to entirely shut down links to Mercedes ahead of the Azerbaijan race weekend, the five-time F1 race later declared he was totally committed to Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Wolff has reiterated that Mercedes’ sole focus is ensuring it ties Lewis Hamilton down to a new contract to continue alongside George Russell.
The seven-time World Champion’s deal present expires at the end of the year, but both parties have expressed a desire to continue their hugely successful alliance.
“Nobody doubts Charles’ ability and he is a good guy,” Wolff added. He is 100 per cent committed to Ferrari and we are 100 per cent committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis.”
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari SF-23. 29.04.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 4, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku Street Circuit, Azerbaijan, Sprint Day.
Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur has also denied the possibility of Leclerc looking elsewhere, citing that the 25-year-old’s main ambition is to win an F1 title in red.
“Charles is a Ferrari driver,” he outlined. “He loves Ferrari and wants to become champion here. There will be a lot of gossip, but it’s not for discussion.”
Leclerc once again proved his worth over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend by defeating the dominant Red Bulls to the top spot in both qualifying sessions.
The Ferrari protégé’s sensational form over a single lap led Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok to proclaim Leclerc is the fastest qualifier on the current grid.
“I genuinely think over one lap he is now the fastest driver we have in Formula 1,” he claimed. “His ability to extract that extra grip out of fresh tyres for one lap is immense.
“I do think he is the best qualifier we have on the grid right now.”
While he was unable to restrain the advances of the two Bulls on heavier fuel, Leclerc expertly managed the race to land Ferrari’s first podium of the season.
Leclerc ended up over 20s ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz on Sunday in Baku, having already out-qualified the Spaniard by 0.8s on Friday evening.
Keyword: Wolff admits Leclerc a ‘long-term’ target for Mercedes