Despite the lack of success and growing gap to McLaren and Red Bull, Charles Leclerc clarifies that a team change in Formula 1 is out of the question. The Monegasse continues to see its future at Ferrari – out of conviction.
In conversation with Sky Italia, Leclerc is addressed directly on what it feels like to watch two teams – first Red Bull, now McLaren – while hunting for titles, while Ferrari has trouble landing regularly on the podium.
The answer of the Ferrari pilot clearly fails: “But I drive for Ferrari! And that means a lot to me.” When he is specifically asked whether it is more important to him to drive for Scuderia than winning a World Cup title with another team, Leclerc leaves no doubt:
“Yes. To be part of this team and from Ferrari is an honor for me. My goal is to bring Ferrari back to the winning road. I owe this team a lot – they brought me to Formula 1, they brought me to Ferrari.”
“Of course I am not indifferent when others win like Max [Verstappen] Or now Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri]. But I am fully focused on leading this team back to the top. I will do everything – together with Fred and with Lewis – to win again. That is my only thought. “
Leclerc sees Ferrari progress
Despite the difficult phase, Leclerc draws hope from the structural changes in Ferrari. Team boss Fred Vasseur receives backing, technology chief Loïc Serra is already working with a view to the new regulations 2026.
And Leclerc recognizes progress: “The improvements come step by step. We definitely work in the right direction. Of course we are not satisfied with where we are – but we are satisfied with progress.”
However, Leclerc also points out that excessive expectations distort the image of the season: “Before the season, there was a lot of hype about the team, that has changed the perception a bit. But I say it very clearly: we are not where we want to be.”
“Ferrari can only be satisfied if we win – and we know that. At the same time, McLaren takes a huge step this year. Unfortunately, we only develop similarly like Mercedes and Red Bull and therefore only fight for second place in the design classification.”
The deficit is large: Ferrari is currently 258 points behind McLaren. But Leclerc remains combative: “It is still a long way to go, but the progress is confident.” The contract with team boss Frederic Vasseur was recently extended.