Red Bull, Aston Martin interest in Leclerc prompts Ferrari action

Red Bull approached Leclerc at the end of May to “understand if there was any possibility that the paths with Ferrari could separate”, according to Formu1a.uno. 

The Italian publication report that Aston Martin have also expressed interest in Leclerc as they look for a top driver to succeed Fernando Alonso when he eventually retires.

The same report claims there has been a push from F1 owner Liberty Media to convince the top teams to have “two truly competitive drivers” in a bid to improve the spectacle, even in times of one-team domination. 

Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Leclerc said he had “slowly” begun to engage in talks over a contract extension with Ferrari. 

The 25-year-old Monegasque, who has also found himself heavily linked with Mercedes in recent months, has a deal with Ferrari that runs until the end of the 2024 campaign. 

According to Formu1a.uno, finalising a renewal for Leclerc has been “at the top of” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur’s agenda amid continued speculation linking his driver to other F1 teams. 

Leclerc stressed he doesn’t “have any particular deadlines” and reiterated that he is “happy” at Ferrari. 

"To be honest, it's not really on my mind yet,” he said in Austria. “When I say we slowly started talking about it, it's just here and there, but nothing special, nothing specific.

"I love Ferrari, so I'm happy here.

"Of course, the team and I are not happy with where we are at the moment. But I think we're all working in the right direction.

"And I am confident that we are working in the right direction. And, again, I love Ferrari, so I'm happy here.”

Current McLaren driver Lando Norris is also believed to be a long-term target for Red Bull. 

Norris’ agent, Mark Berryman, was spotted in the Red Bull motorhome at Silverstone during last weekend’s British Grand Prix having a private chat with Helmut Marko.