#everyone pegged him for imminent success after his meteoric rise but now all of that has stalled given ferrari's limitations & setbacks

[leqclerc]

It hurts to admit but I think Charles needs to jump before he gets pushed out of Ferrari. I know there isn't a team on the grid that's a clear upgrade on Ferrari (aside from Red Bull) but the vibes are so rancid right now and the narrative is so out of control that I really do think he needs to get out.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏻 Definitely agree about the last part, somehow this year feels even more rancid to me than last year. They fucked it but at least they fell from the top and at least for a while Charles had something tangible to fight for. This year I'm just kind of looking forward to the season running its course, which sucks, because the autumn stretch is usually one of my favourite parts of the season.

The reverse-Seb, Charles to Red Bull as Max's replacement fantasy is always so indulgent 😭

Unfortunately (besides everything you've mentioned, which is that on paper at least there is no alternative for him at the moment, nothing that would count as a lateral or upwards move) while he sure seems to be on the same trajectory as Seb, right now I think it's in the sense of possibly hurtling towards a bitter ending faster than any of us could've anticipated. Like Seb, I think he'll show a willingness to stay even after the team decides he's past his expiration date and they're already looking to replace him with the next new shiny thing. It seems it's always the ones with the most heart and passion for the team, who see it as something more than just another career stepping stone, that get screwed in the worst way at the end. 😵‍💫

I mean, if everything that's happened up to this point—the lack of clear hierarchy with a championship on the line, the strategy mess, the mistakes, the wonky car development, the internal politicking—hasn't pushed him to the edge, then I'm not sure what will be that straw that break's the camel's back. As exciting as the rumours of him being a hot commodity and being reached out to by representatives from other teams are/were, I think at this moment in time at least, he doesn't envision his future anywhere other than at Ferrari. Which, the commitment is admirable, but the long-term prospect and the quiet but persistent time pressure (younger talents coming in, with every passing year there's more scrutiny and less leeway, etc.)... gotta say, right now, it's looking bleak.

Obviously no one can accurate predict the future, especially in a sport like F1, where sometimes everything is stable and then suddenly she's delivering a wild silly season and it feels like all the doors of opportunity have swung wide open. A whole bunch of contracts are expiring at the end of next year, some in 2025... there will surely be a scramble to overhaul lineups before the next regulation cycle comes into effect in 2026. We might see some surprises yet, although in my heart of hearts I feel like Charles won't be one of them.

And it's always like, "oh you're a fake fan for even thinking about this." There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about all the possibilities while acknowledging what Charles is like and where his heart lies. More than anything I want to see him succeed and achieve that ultimate goal at Ferrari, with Ferrari. I don't want him see him chased out of the team and community he's been a loyal, dedicated member of since he was still arguably a kid. But at the same time I think it would be a waste of his immense talent and frankly just sad if his career fizzled out and he was little more than a footnote in the history of the sport despite all the promise and all the hype and all those moments of motorsport magic that I know he can and has delivered. Ferrari getting it together and placing him at the heart of their project—not just through their words but visibly, through their actions, and not just as a one-off—is and always has been my number one scenario. But this is a team that hasn't been able to reach the highest heights for almost two decades now. It's not unreasonable to speculate and discuss alternatives and contingency plans.