‘Ferrari: Leclerc has lost confidence, that’s why he may leave’ proclaimed the headline from Corriere dello Sera.

The driver, though, is baffled by it.

Could Charles Leclerc quit Ferrari?

F1 2025 has not gone to plan for Ferrari, who went into the season with many predicting they could fight for the championship double.

Nine races in, it’s all but mathematically over.

Although Ferrari are up to second in the Constructors’ Championship, they have less than half McLaren’s points with 362 to 165, while in the Drivers’ standings it is Charles Leclerc who is the best-placed Ferrari driver but he’s down in fifth, 92 points behind Oscar Piastri.

Vasseur’s position, claims Corriere dello Serra, is ‘under scrutiny by top management.

‘The French boss has been asked to account for the unsatisfactory performance, his position is no longer so firm, he is accused of knowing little about the internal environment.’

But it is not just Vasseur who Ferrari could say goodbye to as the Italian publication claims Ferrari protégé Leclerc has begun to doubt the project ‘for the first time in Leclerc’s head.

‘His fear is to find himself in a struggling Rossa even in the new rule cycle.

‘Mercedes, on the other hand, is credited with a technical advantage thanks to its engine. They have not yet renewed Russell’s contract, and pursued Verstappen but it is likely that Max will stay with Red Bull next year to choose who to settle with in 2027, unless he really decides to take a break, which only he could afford.

‘Charles has also always been held in high esteem by Toto Wolff.

‘Then there is Aston Martin in the midst of a revival with Adrian Newey but it would be a high-risk bet.’

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But put to Leclerc when he spoke with the media including PlanetF1.com in Montreal, the Ferrari driver revealed he was baffled by the report as he has absolutely no intension of walking away from the Scuderia.

“I’m very surprised. I mean, I have no idea from where it’s coming from,” Leclerc told the media, including PlanetF1.com. “So, I’ll rather just ignore it.

“But I’ve never said anything of this in the last few races. If anything, I keep saying how much I love the team and how much I want to bring back Ferrari to the top. I was just surprised.

“We surely have a vision that we share, us three – Fred, Lewis and myself – in order to try and get back to winning. And we’ve been working to put that all together.

“And so, yeah, this is for sure our plan. And I think we should stick to it.”

But nine races into the season and without a win on the board, Monegasque driver admitted no one at Ferrari is happy with the team’s F1 2025 performance. They will, however, persevere.

“I think none of us are satisfied of how it’s going at the moment. That’s clear. We came into the season thinking that we had chances to challenge McLaren and Red Bull in order to win the championship.

“That has not been the case so far. However, it’s fair also to say that I don’t think many people understood, apart from McLaren, like… they’ve done a huge step forward compared to last year. A lot more than anybody else.

“I think McLaren is doing an outstanding job. We are absolutely not happy in the situation we are in at the moment. However, I feel like we just need to find ourselves as well, just like Mercedes, just like Red Bull.

“We need to find the outstanding thing that McLaren have found.

“We are already putting ourselves under a lot of pressure. Then, of course, there are some talks that it’s not something that you want to hear. But the pressure is normal to have it.

“When you are working for Ferrari, second is never good enough. But we are all aware of it. So it’s not like the outside pressure is having any influence on the pressure that we put ourselves first. We want to be winning. And as I keep saying, it’s not good enough.

“But I’m not the only one to say that. All the team knows that it’s not good enough and that Ferrari should be winning. And that’s what we are putting all our efforts into, is to try and bring Ferrari back to the top.”

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