Mercedes boss believes Charles Leclerc has the potential of becoming a world champion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently sat down for a brief Q&A and shared his views on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The Austrian is known to not mince his words when answering questions and had a word or two to speak about the Monegasque.

In an interview with Monaco Matin, this is what Toto had to say:

“You want to make a big headline about that, huh? then I’m going to answer that he's one of the drivers capable of playing the title in F1.”

Toto mentioned:

"Even if I don't know him very well, I see a humble, thoughtful young man. And a very fast driver, of course."

Charles Leclerc made the jump to F1 in 2018, displayed bursts of lightning-fast speed on Saturdays and racing brilliance on Sundays, pushing his Sauber past its breaking point and earning himself a seat in Ferrari's 2019 race lineup that money can't buy. He replaced Kimi Raikkonen, the Scuderia's most recent world champion in 2019.

There, he instantly made a name for himself by competing head-to-head with Sebastian Vettel, the current leader, without fear. A week after a debut F1 victory at Spa, another came on Ferrari's revered home field of Monza.

Ferrari struggled in the 2020 and '21 seasons, but Leclerc remained determined to become a legitimate title challenger in 2022. He was the only driver who was able to regularly compete with champion Max Verstappen, earning three victories, 11 podiums, and nine pole positions.

Will Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton swap teams?

When asked about the rumors surrounding a potential move of Charles Leclerc to Mercedes, Toto taunted the media for spinning stories around nothing they know about.

Toto also assured that Lewis's new contract with Mercedes is on the way and the terms are in the process of refinement.

After Charles Leclerc to Mercedes rumors emerged, Leclerc spoke up about being loyal to the Scuderia. This is what he said during an interview with La Gazette:

"I love Ferrari, I always dreamed of driving for this team."

Leclerc clarified that talks of renewing his contract with the team haven't yet begun, with 18 months still remaining in his current deal with the Scuderia.

Charles Leclerc's future is still uncertain. But the Monegasque continues to be steadfast in his ties to the Scuderia.

Lewis Hamilton seems unconcerned by the noise that Leclerc would succeed him at Mercedes when his contract expires. The British driver stated that he intends to play for his current team till the very end of his career.

There have been rumors that Hamilton and Leclerc would switch teams to revitalize both or that Hamilton might call it quits.

However, if Charles Leclerc exercises his right to an early termination provision and leaves Ferrari at the end of the season, Hamilton is not obligated to try to negotiate a new contract with another side.

The seven-time world champion's Mercedes seat is expected to be most likely to go to the Monegasque in the future.