Charles Leclerc has finally broken his silence regarding the rumors about him going to Mercedes. Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019 and currently has a contract until the end of 2024.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell currently have contracts that end after the 2023 season. Lewis and Toto Wolff have been very vocal about continuing their partnership after the 2023 season. However, recent rumors suggested that Leclerc was in talks with Toto Wolff about possibly replacing Hamilton after the current season.
Will Lewis Hamilton retire from Formula 1 after 2023?
Lewis Hamilton is arguably the best driver the sport has ever seen. Some of his accomplishments are unmatched by any other driver at the moment. The only driver who is currently racing and could possibly beat Hamilton’s records is Max Verstappen. Max Verstappen has only recently begun his Championship run with Red Bull. However, it looks to be challenging for Red Bull to be dominant for as long as Mercedes did.
Hamilton is currently 38 years old. So the question needs to be asked sooner or later: When is Lewis Hamilton going to retire? Although Lewis has 7 Championships under his name, he is looking to achieve one more to beat Michael Schumacher’s record. This may be uncertain in 2023 as the Mercedes’ W14 does not have the pace to challenge the dominant pace of Red Bull.
So Lewis Hamilton will be looking to extend his contract with Mercedes for the 2024 season if not the 2025 season as well. But will this be a good idea for Mercedes as a team looking to develop their car?
Lewis Hamilton brings a tremendous amount of experience to the team. He knows what a car needs and what it doesn’t. Unfortunately for Mercedes, Hamilton also takes a lot from their budget. His current contract pays Hamilton approximately 55 million USD per year. He could demand a similar salary for his upcoming contract and he has accomplished enough to do so.
But Mercedes is currently rebuilding their team to get back into the fight for the championship. Could Hamilton’s salary take too much out of Mercedes’s budget for them to develop the car? If Mercedes choose not to extend Hamilton’s contract, could it pave the way for Charles Leclerc to join Mercedes?
Is Charles Leclerc trying to bag a seat in the Mercedes?
The 2023 season so far has not been one of the good ones for Leclerc. We are three races into the season and Leclerc has acquired only 3 points due to the 2 DNFs in Bahrain and Australia. This has added to the list of recent troubles for Ferrari This has also sparked a rivalry between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
However, the long break due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix has given Ferrari time to develop and sort out the issues in the car. This seemed to have worked as Charles Leclerc took pole in today’s qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which is this season’s first Sprint weekend.
Before he took pole, Charles was asked about the recent rumors about him looking for a seat in Mercedes to which Leclerc replied: “No, not yet, not for the moment. For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari. I fully trust and I am confident for the future, then we will see, but I am fully confident for the project of Ferrari.” “I’m fully committed to Ferrari and I love Ferrari. It has always been a dream for me to be in this team, and my main priority is to win a world championship with this team, so it’s not something in my mind”
Racing for Scuderia Ferrari has always been Charles Leclerc’s dream. It looks like he still has confidence in the team that they will provide a Championship winning car. This confidence certainly seems to have gone up after qualifying as he took Pole Position for the race on Sunday.
Even if Hamilton retires after this season, Leclerc currently has a contract with Ferrari until the end of the 2024 season. So if Mercedes wants Leclerc, they will have to offer a buyout to Ferrari which seems unlikely.
When the media asked Leclerc if he has had any conversations regarding this with Toto Wolff, Leclerc said: “No. Zero, zero, really zero. You [the media] all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise.”
The media also asked Ferrari boss Fred Vassuer this to which he replied:
“Drivers are key,” “I said yesterday, it’s very important to have the drivers involved with the project and for a long time. I’m sure we have a good combination and, the question about Charles, it’s a question as usual.” “But I think Charles said also that he wants to be world champion with Ferrari, and I want to be world champion with Charles or with Carlos [Sainz]. We are very happy with the drivers… and they are doing a good job. So far so good.”
Lewis Hamilton has been with the team for 10 years now. He seems to be confident about his future with the team. When asked if the rumors about Leclerc and Mercedes will affect his chances of acquiring a new deal with Mercedes, Hamilton said:
“No, not really. I think maybe some of the drivers have relationships with different [team] bosses and stuff.” “I like where I am, I love my team, and I’m grateful for the journey we’ve been on and what we’re working on moving forwards. So it doesn’t have any impact, no.”
It seems like all the drivers and team bosses in the top teams are currently happy with where they are at the moment.