Leclerc leaving Ferrari is 'possible', according to former Ferrari engineer
Former Ferrari engineer Francesco Cigarini believes it’s “possible” that Charles Leclerc could leave Ferrari if he no longer has a race-winning car, though moving to another team would still be a gamble.
Charles Leclerc is undoubtedly one of the most talented drivers of his generation, alongside Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Lando Norris.
Yet the Monegasque has achieved far less than he could have, often due to cars that fell short of the expectations of a major brand like Ferrari, which has been without a championship since 2008.
In his seven and a half years in Formula 1 so far, the No. 16 has managed to secure “only” eight wins. What’s particularly concerning is the conversion rate from pole positions to victories—just 5 wins from 27 pole starts. This makes him one of the drivers with the lowest pole-to-win ratio, sitting just below 20%.
Even this year, despite high expectations for Ferrari after fighting with McLaren for the title until the very end, the Maranello team has failed to provide Leclerc with a car capable of challenging Norris and Piastri.
Could Leclerc leave Ferrari at some point?
The Monegasque has always expressed his love for Ferrari and his desire to become world champion in red, but could there come a day when a split becomes inevitable if he no longer keeps winning?
According to former Ferrari mechatronics engineer Francesco Cigarini, such a scenario cannot be ruled out.
“It’s possible, but I think his thought process is: ‘What if I change teams and in a year or two Ferrari comes up with the car I need to win the World Championship?’ Then you have to consider what alternatives you have and how certain you are about them,'' he told in conversation with Formula1.it.
“I asked myself the same question when I decided to leave: ‘What if the next team is the right one and we start winning again?’ At some point, though, I made my choice, so he could make the same decision [to leave].''
''I don’t see it as likely for now, but I think the question he’s asking himself is: ‘What if I leave and finally everything I want from the car arrives the following year?’”
When asked whether the regret of not winning with Ferrari could outweigh the regret of never winning a World Championship in his career, Cigarini added: “Yes, but it also depends on how he feels within Ferrari. For example, if he comes to realize that the old connection isn’t there anymore, at some point he would have to leave.''
''I don’t think that’s the case right now. He has a strong ambition to bring the title to Ferrari, and he does it for himself, because it’s a path he chose and fully embraced.”
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