3 reasons why Charles Leclerc should stay at Ferrari

F1 Grand Prix of Australia — Charles Leclerc did not have the best of season starts in 2023

Charles Leclerc is going through a tough phase at Ferrari. The young driver joined the team in 2019, and since then, the driver has achieved a lot. He's become the lead driver by usurping Sebastian Vettel from the team. He's won a race for in Monza of all places and he led the charge for the team in 2022 and finished the season runner-up.

Having said that, the last two seasons have been heartbreaking in so many ways. The Monegasque driver has lost multiple race wins either to reliability issues or to just the team's poor race execution.

In 2023, he stands at the crossroads of his career with uncertainty all around. His current contract ends at the end of the 2024 F1 season. There have been rumors of a possible approach from Mercedes as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.

Even if we consider all of this, moving from Ferrari to any other team at this stage might not be the best decision for Charles Leclerc, here's why.

#1 Frederic Vasseur is not a conventional Ferrari leader

When we talk about the championship rut that Ferrari has gone through since its last championship triumph in 2008, one of the major reasons has been the all-Italian leadership at the top management level. The team has been marred by far too much political intervention and that has destroyed whatever chances have been presented of a possible title claim.

With Fred Vasseur, not only has the team opted for an outsider, they've opted for someone with a winning record. Someone that has shown an immense ability to lead teams to win in junior categories and someone that has been a part of the sport for a long time.

Fred Vasseur is not your typical Italian leader and the man does not belong to the typical Ferrari heritage. If there has been one man that has inspired a level of confidence in the Italian team's fortunes, then it has to be Vasseur. For Charles Leclerc, someone who has driven under Vasseur before he even made it to Ferrari, patience could ultimately be the key to success for him.

#2 Charles Leclerc has established himself as a team leader

One thing that Charles Leclerc has been able to do at Ferrari is establish himself as the lead driver. Carlos Sainz has been an able competitor to Leclerc but overall if we look at a season in its entirety, the gap between the two is obvious. Ferrari is a team that has been notorious in the past when it comes to leaning all the resources towards the lead driver.

Michael Schumacher famously enjoyed it and even Fernando Alonso was a major benefactor of the same. Once Ferrari reach the rarefied air in terms of top-level performance, one thing that would be possible is the lack of hesitation when it comes to accentuating all the support towards Charles Leclerc.

For Leclerc, in terms of the opportunity to win the title, that's the best thing that could happen, all he needs to do for now is continue to stamp his authority over Sainz in the interim.

#3 No attractive opening to move to

Finally, in what might be a bit disheartening if Charles Leclerc has thought of moving to other teams, there are no openings. Red Bull has Max Verstappen and there will not be two Alphas within that unit.

At Mercedes, in all likelihood, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are going to continue and finally at Aston Martin, unless Lance Stroll injures himself in a worse manner, it's hard to visualize any change happening there.

When it comes to finding a plausible new home, there just isn't anywhere Leclerc could possibly go and be in a better position than what he finds himself in. Maybe if he waits for a year or so and something turns up, but for now, it's hard to visualize any viable opportunity that Charles Leclerc could exploit.

Edited by Yash Singh