Is Charles Leclerc leaving Ferrari? Here's what's really going on!

Charles Leclerc's manager Nicolas Todt has reportedly held discussions on behalf of his client with Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes - as various media outlets are reporting. But the reality is different from what is being suggested.

Charles Leclerc is a Ferrari driver through and through, the team he has been with for seven seasons now. Before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, the Monegasque stated as much: "I've always loved Ferrari."

"That's where I draw my motivation from, because I want to bring back Ferrari to the top, no matter how long it takes. I’ll do absolutely everything until I stop believing in the project. But at the moment I'm fully into it, I'm fully working on it."

Is Leclerc looking to leave Ferrari?

Hence the the surprise behind the stories that are circulating suggesting that Leclerc would be eyeing a switch to another team. It has even been reported that Nicolas Todt has held talks with Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes.

Charles Leclerc in Budapest. Photo: Race Pictures

It's standard practice in Formula One: every manager keeps tabs with all the F1 teams because it is impossible to know what's going to happen next. Raymond Vermeulen, Max Verstappen's manager, for instance, does exactly the same. Todt, the son of Ferrari icon Jean Todt, is therefore often engaging in talks with other F1 teams.

GPblog witnessed firsthand in Monza how Todt indeed chatted with various people in the paddock, in the same way everyone talks to everyone else, which is worlds apart from actually being on the market for a potential new team for Leclerc. 

Leclerc's manager in talks with McLaren?

Various media are now reporting that Todt spoke with McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella and Alessandro Alunni Bravi in Italy. The easy conclusion to jump to: the subject of the conversation was Leclerc.

However, the true focus of said conversation revolved around Norwegian Martinius Stenshorne, a McLaren junior who happened to be promoted from Formula 3 to Formula 2 that weekend. Alunni Bravi is in charge of the British team's Driver Development Programme, and Todt manages the young Norwegian ace.

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