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Charles Leclerc is arguably one of the finest talents that has made his into F1 in the last five to six years. The driver's mild-natured demeanor outside when the helmet is off and aggressive nature when the helmet is on has made him a fan favorite. He made his debut in 2018 with Sauber and swiftly got promoted as a Ferrari driver after just one year in the midfield.
He's been a Ferrari driver since 2019. During this time he's teamed up with Sebastian Vettel and got the better of him. He has beaten an all-time great Lewis Hamilton in a straight fight at Monza and he's spearheaded the Italian brand at a very young age.
Despite such accolades and such impressive feats, Charles Leclerc's career stands at a crossroads as F1 enjoys its summer break.
With rumors making rounds of a 5-year contract extension with the Italian marque, we just have one thing to say, "Dear Charles, DO NOT SIGN THAT CONTRACT!"
Charles Leclerc's years of misery at Ferrari
It's safe to say that Charles Leclerc's time with the team has been less than optimal. When you talk about Ferrari, you talk about fighting for pole, wins, and championships. 2023 will be the driver's fifth year on the team and he's yet to compete for the title even once. If we are being really generous we could say that the 2022 F1 championship was a pseudo-title battle of sorts.
Other than that though, there's nothing that even comes close. In all these years, Leclerc has more than proven himself to be one of the top drivers in F1. He's shown the capability that tends to help drivers win titles. The Monegasque driver is spectacular in qualifying, arguably one of, if not the best. He's great with his race craft and in wheel-to-wheel battles.
There's no part of his repertoire that could be considered less than elite. The only thing that has limited the success that Charles Leclerc can enjoy in F1 is the car under him and the team in the background. Ferrari's misdemeanor when it came to power unit regulations in 2019 cost the team big time in 2020 and 2021.
When the team finally came back to the front in 2022 a major weakness got exposed. While Leclerc was proving himself to be an able adversary of Max Verstappen in the title battle, Ferrari proved that the team was just not ready. Since 2022, the Italian squad has only gone downhill and even though we're in 2023 the team still averages one howler per weekend.
The consistent failures affected Charles Leclerc last season and they have certainly worn him down this season as well. With Ferrari's inability to show improvements in the last few years and the new management still bringing in changes, does it make sense to commit to the team? That too for five years? Most certainly not.
The team's track record of failure
Ferrari last won a title in 2008. Since then it has been 15 years and the team has not won a single title. In terms of competitive championship battles, the Italian outfit has been involved in two of them with Fernando Alonso in 2010 and 2012. With Sebastian Vettel as a part of the team, the driver was able to finish P2 in the championship twice but the title battle fizzled out soon after mid-season.
Charles Leclerc himself went through something similar in 2022 where he was the championship runner but in all fairness, there was no battle for the title after mid-season. Over the last 15 years, Ferrari has had two world championship battles with zero success.
To make things worse, the team is going through a transition and it's not hard to see how much of a political turmoil the team goes through every few years. Is such a team worth signing an extension with? The sensible answer would be no.
The list of Ferrari's victims is long and distinguished
Charles Leclerc would be wise to not only look at Ferrari's string of failures since 2008. It would behoove him to look at the team since the 1980s. In the last four and a half decades, if we exclude Michael Schumacher's era from 1996 to 2006 and the remnants of the team until 2008, the Italian team has not been a competitive or consistent frontrunner.
The team has had bonafide legends join the team and fail. Names like Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel would be part of any F1 fan's greatest drivers list. All of them drove for Ferrari and neither was able to win the title with the team.
More than anything, for Charles Leclerc this should be a sign to look at options beyond Ferrari and most importantly don't sign that massive contract extensions.
If not Ferrari, what should he do?
The course of action is simple for Leclerc. A new management has taken over in the form of Fred Vasseur. He is bringing in the changes and these changes should start taking effect by next season. Without looking at what the effect of these changes will be, it does not make much sense to take a leap of faith with a team that has been a perennial failure.
If by next season, Ferrari's fortunes take a turn for the better, Charles Leclerc could consider signing an extension with the team itself. If that does not happen, however, it might be time for him to start looking at other options. Does Mercedes have an opening? What about McLaren? or Aston Martin?
What if Audi wants Charles to spearhead its foray into F1? Quite a few possibilities are going to open up next season and it's better to position yourself to make the most of them.
This is my message to you Charles! I've seen you do wonderful things in an F1 car and I've seen you dominate Formula 2. I've also seen you feel helpless at Ferrari in the last couple of years. Be smart Charles, DON'T SIGN THE CONTRACT EXTENSION.
