Charles Leclerc hits jackpot as Carlos Sainz in limbo on Ferrari future – report

Charles Leclerc is reportedly set for a five-year Ferrari contract extension which will reach a €50 million salary, but Carlos Sainz faces a challenge to secure his desired two years.

Ferrari are approaching a busy time for driver decisions with both Leclerc and Sainz out of contract after F1 2024.

It looks like Leclerc’s future could be secure though and a very promising one at that, while Sainz has some serious negotiations to do to resolve his Ferrari future.

Charles Leclerc pay rise, Carlos Sainz contract length clash

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari has reached an agreement to tie Leclerc down to a new five-year deal, which would include a hefty pay rise.

With a starting salary of €25m, that would double to €50m by the final year of his terms.

F1 2023 marked another disappointing campaign for Ferrari as their anticipated title challenge never materialised, the Scuderia losing out in the battle for runner-up to Mercedes, who seccured that P2 spot at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

Under the new terms for Leclerc though, La Gazzetta dello Sport claiming the announcement is “imminent”, performance-related exit clauses will kick in from the third year.

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But, while Leclerc’s future is looking rosy in Ferrari colours, a breakthrough is reportedly needed for Sainz’s to look the same.

Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a grand prix in F1 2023 as he took the chequered flag in Singapore, though he is the driver which Ferrari apparently is uncertain on looking into the long-term future.

While Sainz wants an extension of at least two years, a one-year deal it is said may suit Ferrari more, with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who has a deal until the end of 2025, a driver Ferrari has an eye on should an opening emerge to lure him to Maranello.

Sainz meanwhile has been stern in his denial of recent rumours linking him with a switch to Audi, who will arrive on the grid in 2026 when Sauber takes on the status of Audi’s works team, running their newly-developed power unit.

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