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Charles Leclerc’s emotional attachment to his team is one of the strongest on the F1 grid. But he’s now willing to follow his head, rather than his heart.

Leclerc broke into F1 through the Ferrari driver academy and has raced for the Scuderia since 2019. In that period, he has won eight races, including two unforgettable victories at Monza.

Next year, he will overtake Kimi Raikkonen for second place on the all-time Ferrari appearance list. Only Michael Schumacher would be above him at that stage.

RANKDRIVERYEARSRACES1Michael Schumacher1996-20061802Kimi Raikkonen2007-09, 2014-181513Charles Leclerc2019-present1444Felipe Massa2006-131395Sebastian Vettel2015-20118The F1 drivers who have started the most races for Ferrari

But as reported by Corriere dello Sport, Leclerc’s future beyond that is increasingly uncertain. While he, like the rest of the grid, will wait to see the pecking order under the new regulations before making a decision, he’s already started speaking to rival teams.

Charles Leclerc has already started speaking to Mercedes

While Leclerc’s dream is to win a title at Ferrari, he’s realised that he can’t ‘jeopardise his entire career’ in pursuit of that objective. The Monegasque finished runner-up in the 2022 standings but he’d justifiably argue that the team have never – across seven seasons – given him a car good enough to sustain a title challenge.

There’s already ‘a dense network’ of options forming around Leclerc. Eight-time F1 champions Mercedes are ‘at the centre’ of it, along with McLaren.

Mercedes’ priority target is Max Verstappen, but his bond with Red Bull rival Leclerc’s with Ferrari. Toto Wolff may already have formed a blockbuster plan-b.

As for McLaren, Oscar Piastri has been linked with Ferrari, so there may be an opportunity for a de facto seat swap. Leclerc’s entourage have started ‘discussions’ with ‘several’ candidates already.

Corriere’s report adds that Leclerc angered some of Ferrari’s engineers with his critical remarks in Singapore. Leclerc qualified seventh and finished sixth after losing a battle with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

After the race, he said: “Mercedes has made great strides forward, just like Red Bull had a few races ago, but we haven’t. In these conditions, it’s difficult to be optimistic and think that the situation can change in the final races.”

There’s truth to his comments, as evidenced by Mercedes leapfrogging Ferrari for second and Red Bull closing to within eight points. Leclerc is becoming increasingly frustrated with his team’s lack of progress.

One journalist went as far as to suggest that Leclerc had a look of ‘total resignation’ after the race. He’ll be 29 by the end of next season and he can’t afford to simply assume that his chance will come.

Ferrari are interested in Gabriel Bortoleto, while Haas youngster Oliver Bearman is also on their books. Given Lewis Hamilton’s age, it’s not out of the question that they have a whole new driver line-up in 2027.