#i feel like im beating a dead horse by now but. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[leqclerc]

Re: John elkann - was it just me that was expecting a sainz re-signing then? I think they're definitely planning to resign. I just think he won't get a long term deal like charles one. Which obviously won't make him very happy (which means we'll have to put up with a whole lot of tantrums from him/his family). But definitely think he'll be around for 2025, after that I think they'd be silly to hang on to him

(well, 80% of me is sure they're going to re-sign him, the other 20% is clinging onto some hope that Ferrari will surprise us and get Alex or someone for 2025)

Looks like you might be right, as per the journalist 'leaks' (if you can call it that.)

I guess it's the expected scenario, but it's still disappointing, because lbr while he and his posse are there not much is going to change internally. He's been in the team for three full seasons now, he's not some unknown factor—which is both a good and a bad thing. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, but that devil has proven he can be an obstacle in a scenario where Charles has a chance to fight for the title. He's shown he's reluctant to put the team first if he sees an opportunity to finish ahead of Charles (disruptive in qualifying, reluctance to go along with the agreed strategy if he thinks it favours Charles, little to no understanding or recognition for the other side of the garage, etc.)

Sure, things might be a little different under Fred's leadership should they find themselves in a similar position to early 2022, but there's really no guarantee. Delaying a contract extension is really the only way to keep him in check. But then if his performance suffers he'll just blame that on job insecurity I guess, like he did when he was way off Charles's performance and pace last spring 🙄

So, on one hand I guess it was to be expected, but on the other, I think they'd be naive to not at least start considering alternatives or knocking on some drivers' doors to gauge interest (like you said, Alex springs to mind as a solid option, if he can be tempted away from Williams in the near future.)

But also damn, 2028 is a long term commitment on Charles's part and I'm a bit skeptical about it ngl. I was/am hoping he gets some kind of option deal (a contract extension to take him up to 2026 and then an option for +2 years if everything seems to be going in the right direction.)

As a fellow '97 baby I'm a bit concerned about the implications, should Ferrari continue to flounder, and should he come away empty-handed after nearly a decade with the team. 31 isn't old (at least, it shouldn't be seen as such, ahem, society) but it also isn't young, especially in this sport. With young talent coming in practically every year and, like in Oscar's case, being very promising from the get go, I worry about what the driver's market will look like by then. Will he still be as coveted and highly rated as he is today, or will he be passed over by capable teams in favour of the shiny new thing? Fernando and Sebastian came into the team as champions. No matter how their run with Ferrari went, they had their titles, and that's something nothing and no one could take away from them. And yet we still saw how things ended for Seb at Ferrari, how public opinion shifted at the lowest point in 2020, how people were chasing him off into retirement and obscurity at the age of just 33. We're already getting endless debates about "is Leclerc really all that or is he just overhyped and mid?" and I fear they will never end until he has something to show for his time at Ferrari. I get it, he loves them, he's determined, he's committed, he has a dream and a vision and it's red but also like—please be careful 😭😭😭