Leclerc reveals rival offers as contract talk grips Monaco

Charles Leclerc came home to Monaco with a new Ferrari deal and a confession: rival teams did come calling. F1's driver market is wide awake again, and Verstappen is listening.

Charles Leclerc has admitted he had offers from rival teams before committing his future to Ferrari.

The Monegasque returned to his home town this week fresh from signing a new contract with the Maranello team, ending months of speculation about his long-term future.

Asked directly if there were other approaches from rival teams, he replied: "There were, yes."

When asked who they were, Leclerc smiled: "No, I'm not going to say who. But they can say it if they want, but for me Ferrari was always the choice."

The revelation is significant given ongoing reports linking Leclerc with Aston Martin, Mercedes and even Red Bull amid frustration over Ferrari's failure to deliver a championship-winning car.

However, Leclerc again made clear that winning a title in red remains his priority.

"My love for the team is very big," he said. "But, of course, as you said, winning is important for every driver and it's what we race for.

"Winning in red for me has got a very unique feeling and something that I've dedicated all the years so far in Formula 1 to try and achieve."

Leclerc would not confirm details of the contract, including whether it contains performance clauses or exit mechanisms if Ferrari fails to become a title contender.

"We didn't manage to achieve that yet, at least on a full season," he said.

"I cannot go too much into the detail of the contract, so I cannot comment unfortunately on the main question, but surely it's part of those discussions."

A market on the move

The contract announcement has reignited attention on Formula 1's developing driver market, with several major names now facing decisions about their futures.

Lewis Hamilton, whose own Ferrari deal runs into 2027, dismissed suggestions he is already discussing another extension.

"No," the seven-time world champion said when asked if renewal talks had begun. "I'll have time for that later. I have plenty of time. I'm not thinking about it yet and I'm not negotiating it."

Meanwhile, Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman continues to wait for a possible future opening at the Scuderia. The highly rated Briton is outperforming experienced Haas teammate Esteban Ocon this season but says he is not becoming impatient.

"I don't feel disappointed, I don't feel unhappy," Bearman said. "Everything that's happening now is part of my journey.

"I enjoy working with Haas, and I wouldn't consider continuing with them in 2027 a bad thing. On the contrary, it's a great opportunity."

When asked if he would still be at Haas next season, however, Bearman admitted: "I don't know."

Verstappen's open horizon

Another key figure in the market remains Max Verstappen.

The four-time world champion confirmed Red Bull has already raised the possibility of extending his current contract beyond 2028.

"Yes," Verstappen said when asked if the team had approached him. But I haven't signed a new contract in a while. That is normal."

For now, however, he is in no hurry to commit.

"That's not my biggest concern for me now, because I have two more years," Verstappen said.

"I first have to decide for myself whether I want to go longer than 2028. That's why I'm in no hurry, otherwise I would have signed a contract until 2040."

Driver market at a glance

See also: Monaco Grand Prix on F1-Fansite.

Related: Leclerc commits to Ferrari until 2028

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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