Charles Leclerc exit rumours swirl over Ferrari release clause

F1 star Charles Leclerc's long-term future with Ferrari could be in doubt, as rumours of an exit clause in his contract begin to swirl.

Italian media have suggested that his current deal - which runs until 2029 after he signed a mammoth contract extension last year - has a performance-based exit clause in it based off Ferrari's ability to provide him with a race-winning car.

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2026 is set to be a huge year for Ferrari, and all teams, with a plethora of regulation changes sweeping into the sport, and Corriere della Sera have said that the exit clause in his contract comes into play at the end of that season.

If Ferrari are still unable to offer the Monegasque driver a car capable of challenging for championships, he could opt to end his contract early, the above publication suggested.

Leclerc has been with Ferrari since 2019, but has only managed to pick up eight career victories in that time, and has not yet been able to challenge for his first world title.

In 2024, Ferrari finished within 14 points of McLaren in the constructors' championship, but are already 197 points behind the papaya team in 2025, with the Scuderia appearing to have taken a step backwards over the last six months or so.

Where could Leclerc end up?

As with seemingly all drivers at the top of their game at the moment, Leclerc has been linked with a move to Mercedes by the Italian publication.

They state that Leclerc has always been held in high regard with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, and the team have been rumoured to be the outfit to benefit the most from next year's regulation changes.

Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are set to be out of contract at the end of 2025, although it is likely that both stars will be given contract extensions due to their brilliant starts to the season, and any move to sign Leclerc would likely hamper 18-year-old Antonelli's progress.

Following Ferrari's poor start to the season, it's not only Leclerc's future that is a cause for speculation. Gazzetta also recently revealed that Fred Vasseur's position as team principal could be decided within the next three races.

The Frenchman is due to be out of contract at the end of this year, and Ferrari are soon set to decide whether or not he should be the man to lead the project into F1's new era.

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