Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner asserts that Ferrari would “be crazy” not to retain Charles Leclerc amid recent rumours of a new long-term Formula 1 deal.
The Italian publication, La Gazzetta dello Sport, reported earlier this week that Leclerc had signed a bumper five-year contract extension to remain at Ferrari through 2029.
It was also revealed that an announcement confirming the renewed agreement was “imminent” and would see Leclerc earn €25m, to double to €50m come the final year.
That news arrived after Ferrari President John Elkann confirmed that both Leclerc and Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz would continue at the Italian marque beyond 2024.
Leclerc has been associated with Ferrari since March 2016, progressing through the ranks to be promoted to the senior F1 team after only a single season in the top flight.
Leclerc went head-to-head with Max Verstappen in the early stages of last season, but the Maranello squad was swiftly outdeveloped by Red Bull in the second half.
But with Leclerc providing Verstappen’s closest threat in the closing stages of a tough campaign, Horner understands why Ferrari would be eager to tie him down.
Speaking to Sky F1 ahead of the Autosport Awards, Horner said: “It’s totally natural, he’s a great driver. I’m sure they’ll want to keep hold of him and they’d be crazy if they didn’t.”
Prior to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell renewing through 2025, Leclerc had been entertained by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff as an option for the German outfit.
Asked about Leclerc’s reported deal with Ferrari, Wolff added: “I don’t know anything about the contract situation, but he’s a great guy and why wouldn’t Ferrari sign him?”
Leclerc has amassed only five race wins in his five seasons with Ferrari amid the side’s struggles to equip him with machinery to regularly battle Mercedes and then Red Bull.
Despite experiencing a season thwarted by a capricious car and a sequence of errors on the team’s side, Leclerc was encouraged by the progress Ferrari made through the year.
“To be honest it’s been a disappointing season,” Leclerc admitted in Abu Dhabi.
“After last year, we expected to come to this season and try and fight for the championship which after the first race, we straightaway understood how difficult it will be compared to the Red Bull that had done a huge step forward, especially in race pace. We didn’t do the same step. So from that moment onwards, it was a bit disappointing.
“On the other hand, if you just look at this season – forget about last season – I think we’ve progressed quite a lot throughout the season which is positive and makes me confident for the future.
“But there’s a big gap to fill to get back the Red Bulls so we’ll work hard during the winter break and hopefully we’ll come back stronger next year with a car that is capable of winning.”
