The big topic of the last few days: will Leclerc leave Ferrari for Mercedes? Turrini says he could replace Hamilton

Will Charles Leclerc leave Ferrari for Mercedes? This is the speculation that has been brought up in recent days by the trusted Italian journalist Leo Turrini, and according to many, it is his potential transfer to the German stable that is an open secret.

Monaco’s Leclerc first joined Ferrari in 2019 and, like many others, he was, or still is, the man to take the Scuderia back to the top and win the world title.

But Leclerc has only five wins in the 84 races he has driven in Ferrari colours so far, but a respectable 24 podiums. It should be noted, there are very few people who succeed in the Maranello stable in modern times, after all, the last title was won by Kimi Räikkönen in 2007.

Since then, Ferrari has fought for the title several times, but Felipe Massa lost his battle to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 season, and Fernando Alonso was similarly beaten by Sebastian Vettel a few years later.

It’s fair to say Ferrari have also gone through some very negative seasons in recent years, where they didn’t even have a chance to be involved in the title fight. In any case, the Scuderia had high hopes for the entry into the new era, whereupon even at the start of the 2022 season things were looking very positive.

But then came the team’s strategically bad decisions at key moments in the races, the cars’ lousy reliability and, last but not least, the drivers’ unnecessary mistakes. It was unbearably stuffy at Ferrari, not least because of the obvious political relationships within the team.

Leclerc to Mercedes?

Moreover, you can see the frustration in Leclerc, which is completely understandable. Moreover, the Monegasque driver’s contract with Ferrari expires at the end of next year. And according to Italian trusted journalist Leo Turrini, his transfer to Mercedes is realistic.

It was Turrini who confirmed that the move to the German stable is an open secret and everyone knows it. According to this information, Leclerc would replace the outgoing Hamilton in the team.

However, it is questionable how long the seven-time champion will be racing, as his main motivation is to win a record eighth title.

Turrini has very good contacts in Maranello. Last November, for example, he came forward with information that the chair was rocking under then Ferrari boss Binotto. Which, in fact, was confirmed before the 2023 season. Whether these speculations will be confirmed, we’ll have to wait for some time.

But the fact remains that there is more than enough talk surrounding both Ferrari drivers these days. Apart from Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, who in turn has been linked to Audi, has also been linked to a departure. The latter will join F1 from 2026.

F1, Leo Turrini, Twitter