Ferrari star's management sends performance warning to team

Charles Leclerc's manager has sent a warning shot in Ferrari's direction about the Monegasque's future with the team.

Nicolas Todt, son of former Scuderia team principal Jean, spoke in response to the team's struggles throughout the year after they conceded the F1 constructors' championship to McLaren with a whole six races to go.

Neither Leclerc nor Hamilton have been able to seriously challenge for a grand prix victory across the first 18 rounds of the season, with Leclerc's biggest achievement being the five podiums he has claimed and Hamilton's being a singular sprint race victory.

Both drivers were left frustrated by the limitations of their SF-25 at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, with Leclerc only managing to finish sixth and Hamilton down in eighth following a late penalty.

In his post-race interview, Leclerc lambasted the fact that the team are slow compared to their rivals Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull, facing up to the new reality that top-five finishes during grands prix may be the best they can manage between now and the end of the season.

But, there is hope on the horizon. New regulations come sweeping into the sport in 2026, which may potentially see a shake up of the current competitive order, if certain teams can master the changes.

Now, Todt has suggested that Leclerc deserves a car that can allow him to challenge the likes of Max Verstappen for titles

"Charles is one of the best talent of his generation, with Max and a few of the drivers," Todt told The Straits Times. "He’s not a baby any more because he has done a lot of seasons with Ferrari and of course, I think that we still need to have a winning car.

"Today, we have a good car, but not enough to win the title. We hope it will happen and we hope next year Ferrari will have a very good car with the new regulations."

READ MORE: Max Verstappen reveals reason he'd make Ferrari F1 switch

Will Leclerc ditch Ferrari?

Leclerc signed a new long-term contract at Ferrari in 2024 which is understood to run until 2029, but it's likely to have release clauses built in based off the team's performance levels after the 2026 regulation changes.

That could potentially mean that he will look to move on for the 2027 season, if Ferrari are still languishing in the midfield, something which is understood to be on Verstappen's mind too at Red Bull.

With Hamilton also out of contract at the end of 2026, the driver transfer market could really see some huge names moving around next year, but all of it will be dependent on car performance.

Ferrari will be desperately trying to give Hamilton and Leclerc a car capable of challenging for the world championship in 2026.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff admits he 'wanted to quit' F1 during Hamilton years

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