Source:REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
[Saba Sports News] With the arrival of the new regulations in 2026, the future landscape for top drivers is beginning to create interconnected effects. Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz believes that Max Verstappen’s future choices may indirectly influence Charles Leclerc’s direction, whether with Red Bull or Aston Martin, depending on one critical factor: whether Ferrari can provide Leclerc with a car capable of competing for the championship.
The 2025 season was not easy for Leclerc. Although he secured seven podium finishes, he never achieved a race victory, with only two second-place finishes, ultimately ranking fifth in the drivers’ standings with 242 points, trailing significantly behind annual champion Lando Norris by 181 points. Realistically, next season will be his eighth year with Ferrari, and his patience is beginning to wear thin.
After the Abu Dhabi finale, Leclerc sent a rare and clear signal to the team, stating that a strong start in the new regulatory era is crucial. The first six to seven races will be sufficient to assess the overall landscape for the coming years; if the trajectory is wrong, making a comeback will be extraordinarily difficult. In response, his manager, Nicolas Todt, publicly stated that if Ferrari fails to develop a championship-level car, Leclerc will have to seriously consider other options.
In my view, Leclerc has fully matured into a contender for the world championship, but the challenge lies in his lack of a competitive car to pursue that goal.