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Charles Leclerc has expressed surprise at reports claiming that the driver is starting to lose confidence in Ferrari and could potentially trigger an exit clause in 2026 if the car is not strong enough. The 2025 F1 season has not been a strong one so far for the Italian team. Ferrari went into the year with expectations of potentially fighting for the title.
That has not happened, as the team's call to change 99% of the car from last season has backfired. Ferrari scored the most points in the second half of last season. The team took McLaren to the last race of the season to secure the championship. There was an expectation that the team could build on that and continue to be a threat.
That hasn't happened, and it has led to a lot of discontent within the team and from the fans as well. This also led to multiple Italian publications claiming that the Ferrari team boss was on a slippery slope within the team, and if the performance was not there, he could lose his position.
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The report also talked about Charles Leclerc losing confidence in the squad and looking at an exit. Talking to the media, including Motorsport, Leclerc quashed these rumors as he said:
"I'm very surprised. I mean, I have no idea from where it's coming from. So, I'll rather just ignore it. But I've never said anything of this in the last few races. If anything, I keep saying how much I love the team and how much I want to bring back Ferrari to the top. I was just surprised."
Charles Leclerc added:
"We have a vision that we share, us three - Fred, Lewis and myself, in order to try and get back to winning. And we've been working to put that all together. And so, yeah, this is for sure our plan. And I think we should stick to it."
Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari expected to challenge for the title
Charles Leclerc did, however, admit that the expectation early in the season was that Ferrari could fight for the title. Leclerc also felt that every team has been caught on the backfoot by the kind of progress that McLaren has shown compared to last season. He said:
"I think none of us are satisfied of how it's going at the moment. That's clear. We came into the season thinking that we had chances to challenge McLaren and Red Bull in order to win the championship. That has not been the case so far. However, it's fair also to say that I don't think many people understood, apart from McLaren, like... they've done a huge step forward compared to last year."
He added:
"A lot more than anybody else. I think McLaren is doing an outstanding job. We are absolutely not happy in the situation we are in at the moment. However, I feel like we just need to find ourselves as well, just like Mercedes, just like Red Bull."
Charles Leclerc is yet to win a race this season, even though he fought for one in Monaco. He would be looking to have a few highlights this season as the title might just be a step too far at this stage.
