Charles Leclerc is currently in contract negotiations with Ferrari as the two parties look to extend their partnership beyond 2024.
Johnny Herbert believes that Charles Leclerc can still win World Championships with Ferrari, despite a frustrating start to life with the Scuderia. The Monegasque driver is currently in the midst of contract negotiations with a view to a long-term renewal with the Italian constructor.
As things stand, both of Ferrari’s drivers are out of contract come the end of the 2024 season and with all but five drivers on the grid yet to confirm extensions beyond the conclusion of next year, the Italian team is keen to wrap up new terms for both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
2023 was a particularly frustrating year for Leclerc who claimed five pole positions but failed to record a single Grand Prix victory. Sainz did manage one race win for the Scuderia, pipping Lando Norris to the top step of the podium in Singapore, but there was little to celebrate on the other side of the Ferrari garage.
Despite a wealth of misfortune and reliability concerns – including one that saw him crash out on the formation lap in Brazil – Leclerc remains committed to the Ferrari project, and negotiations between his representatives and the Italian team regarding a new contract are ongoing.
“I know everybody gets very frustrated because they promise a lot and it never quite sort of… comes together,” Herbert told EuroSportplux, in association with Genting Casino. “But I think that they have the right ingredients still to be competitive and to give the drivers a chance of winning the championship, especially with Charles.
“I think Fred Vasseur is the right character to be able to bring the right ingredients for Ferrari to get back to those… winning ways is one thing but actually winning a championship ways… it’s the mentality that needs to come together.
“There are still little elements of strategy, of little mistakes in pit stops that still creep in, and that’s the things they’ve got to iron out, but I think Fred is able to achieve that. So I think it would still be the right place for him for the moment to continue. I don’t see any reason why he’d wanna go anywhere else.
“And where else can he go other than possibly… possibly Red Bull? You’re not the team leader that he was when he first came into F1 – Sebastian was at the time – and then he came in and took over at the team, so he’s got the right mentality to be able to – and he has done – deal with the pressure of Ferrari.”
