Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has claimed that Mercedes and McLaren were among \u201cat least\u201d two teams talking to Charles Leclerc before he signed a new Ferrari contract.<\/p>\n
It comes after Leclerc admitted to receiving interest from rival teams in Thursday\u2019s FIA press conference at the Monaco Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Martin Brundle reacts to Charles Leclerc new Ferrari contract<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Ferrari announced earlier this week that Leclerc has committed his future to the team by signing a new multi-year contract.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com understands that his new contract will keep Leclerc at Ferrari beyond the 2030 season, with the 28-year-old believed to be the first driver to commit his future to his existing team into the next decade.<\/p>\n Appearing in Thursday\u2019s press conference in Monte Carlo, Leclerc admitted that rival teams had expressed an interest in his services before he signed his new Ferrari contract.<\/p>\n Go deeper: Charles Leclerc\u2019s Ferrari contract<\/p>\n F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026 driver salaries: Who are the highest-paid drivers on the grid?<\/a><\/p>\n He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: \u201cI\u2019m not going to say who, but they can say it if they want. But for me Ferrari was always the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Brundle has claimed that Mercedes and McLaren were almost certainly the teams to show an interest in Leclerc.<\/p>\n Put to him if Leclerc would have been talking to every other team in the paddock before inking a new Ferrari deal, Brundle told Sky F1 on Friday: \u201cNo, no, it wouldn\u2019t have been everybody.<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously he\u2019d be talking to McLaren and to Mercedes at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Leclerc has been limited to just eight race victories since arriving at Ferrari at the start of the 2019 season, with his last win occurring at the 2024 United States Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Brundle\u2019s fellow pundit, the 2009 world champion Jenson Button, praised Leclerc\u2019s loyalty to Ferrari.<\/p>\n Yet the 46-year-old, who memorably left Brawn GP for McLaren at the end of his title-winning season, argued that drivers must \u201cget selfish\u201d at some stage to fulfil their own ambitions.<\/p>\n Button said: \u201cFerrari have had glimpses of a great car.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve won races here and there, but it\u2019s not been a championship-winning car, so it is difficult for a racing driver.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Charles also said he wouldn\u2019t be in F1 if it wasn\u2019t for Ferrari.<\/p>\n \u201cThey gave him the opportunity at an early age, the backing they gave him, and then obviously when he stepped into F1, and then when he moved to Sauber and then when he moved to the big team, to Ferrari.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s nice that he\u2019s on board with the team and he\u2019s part of the family, but at some point you\u2019ve got to get selfish and you need to think about what\u2019s best for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n