Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that Ferrari would be ‘crazy’ to let Charles Leclerc leave, after it was reported that the Monegasque star is close to signing a new contract.
Gazzetta dello Sport reported earlier this week that the Ferrari star had signed a new contract running until 2029, worth around £43 million per season by the latter part of the bumper deal.
It comes after Ferrari chairman John Elkann recently said that both Leclerc and his team-mate Carlos Sainz are part of the team’s long term plans, despite both currently having a contract that only runs until the end of the 2024 season.
Whilst the Maranello-based team struggled to keep up with the dominant Red Bulls in 2023, team boss Fred Vasseur has been optimistic about both their short-term and long-term prospects.
Horner’s warning to Ferrari
Horner, who has just come off the back of a record-breaking season with his star driver Max Verstappen, may just have been looking at Leclerc as a potential replacement for the struggling Sergio Perez, with the Mexican’s contract also running out in 2024.
However, he doesn’t believe that is a real prospect, suggesting Leclerc is Ferrari through-and-through.
“It’s totally natural, he’s a great driver,” he told Sky F1 in quotes reported by Motorsport Week.
“I’m sure they’ll want to keep hold of him and they’d be crazy if they didn’t.”
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Read More: Christian Horner gives ‘crazy’ verdict over Charles Leclerc contract situation 2023-12-08 13:12:00