Ferrari’s Leclerc denies talks with Mercedes: ‘Not yet’
The HinduFerrari’s Charles Leclerc denied, on Thursday, he was talking to rivals Mercedes after a nightmare start to the Formula One season, but his ‘not yet’ comment was unlikely to dampen speculation. A year ago, he won two of the first three and was second in the other before Ferrari’s challenge fell apart due to a lack of reliability, botched strategy and driver errors. “I’m fully committed to Ferrari and I love Ferrari.” Asked if Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had called him, Leclerc replied: “No. You all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise.” Leclerc has a contract to the end of 2024, and Mercedes is in contract extension talks with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be 39 next January and whose current deal runs out at the end of this year.