Martin Brundle names two teams ‘talking to’ Charles Leclerc before new Ferrari contract

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has claimed that Mercedes and McLaren were among “at least” two teams talking to Charles Leclerc before he signed a new Ferrari contract.

It comes after Leclerc admitted to receiving interest from rival teams in Thursday’s FIA press conference at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Martin Brundle reacts to Charles Leclerc new Ferrari contract

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Ferrari announced earlier this week that Leclerc has committed his future to the team by signing a new multi-year contract.

PlanetF1.com understands that his new contract will keep Leclerc at Ferrari beyond the 2030 season, with the 28-year-old believed to be the first driver to commit his future to his existing team into the next decade.

Appearing in Thursday’s press conference in Monte Carlo, Leclerc admitted that rival teams had expressed an interest in his services before he signed his new Ferrari contract.

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He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I’m not going to say who, but they can say it if they want. But for me Ferrari was always the choice.”

Brundle has claimed that Mercedes and McLaren were almost certainly the teams to show an interest in Leclerc.

Put to him if Leclerc would have been talking to every other team in the paddock before inking a new Ferrari deal, Brundle told Sky F1 on Friday: “No, no, it wouldn’t have been everybody.

“But obviously he’d be talking to McLaren and to Mercedes at least.”

Leclerc has been limited to just eight race victories since arriving at Ferrari at the start of the 2019 season, with his last win occurring at the 2024 United States Grand Prix.

Brundle’s fellow pundit, the 2009 world champion Jenson Button, praised Leclerc’s loyalty to Ferrari.

Yet the 46-year-old, who memorably left Brawn GP for McLaren at the end of his title-winning season, argued that drivers must “get selfish” at some stage to fulfil their own ambitions.

Button said: “Ferrari have had glimpses of a great car.

“They’ve won races here and there, but it’s not been a championship-winning car, so it is difficult for a racing driver.

“But Charles also said he wouldn’t be in F1 if it wasn’t for Ferrari.

“They gave him the opportunity at an early age, the backing they gave him, and then obviously when he stepped into F1, and then when he moved to Sauber and then when he moved to the big team, to Ferrari.

“So it’s nice that he’s on board with the team and he’s part of the family, but at some point you’ve got to get selfish and you need to think about what’s best for you.”

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