Ferrari: Charles Leclerc awaits renewal, Montezemolo strict

Driver’s market still at a standstill, but a symbol of the Cavallino is breaking ground.

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are bound by a contract that expires at the end of 2024, just like Carlos Sainz’s. In the weeks leading up to Formula 1’s summer break, there were frequent occasions when team principal Frederic Vasseur called the issue a non-priority for the Cavallino. Those who think very differently, however, are someone who worked and won a great deal in Maranello in both the 1970s and the 2000s: Luca Cordero di Montezemolo.

The former Ferrari president, in an interview for ‘Il Resto del Carlino,’ focused in particular on the future of Charles Leclerc. That, in his opinion, should be a top priority for the management of the Cavallino.

“I would confirm Leclerc,” Montezemolo said, “He is good, and moreover I do not have the impression that there are free drivers who are stronger than him. For those currently driving Ferrari, however, right now that is the least of the problems.”

Montezemolo then addressed not only Ferrari’s achievements over the course of 2023, but also how the various men at the Redhead are gradually embracing them. “The fact that they are celebrating a third place, as was the case at Spa, I regret. It’s not a Ferrari attitude. The Grand Old Man would never accept it, never,” explained the man who was president of the Emilian house between 1991 and 2014. And who, especially in the early years of his own management, knew well the bitter taste of entire seasons without victories in Formula 1.