After the departure of Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari, Charles Leclerc remains the only driver in their line-up who is a proven race winner. With the team going through one of their toughest periods ever, the last thing they would want according to some would be to lose Leclerc to a rival team. Future F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali who was once a key managerial figure at Ferrari has given his thoughts while speaking to La Gazetta

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0:00 - Is Ferrari At Risk Of Losing Charles Leclerc?
1:32 - Fast Feed

I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:

Is Ferrari At Risk Of Losing Charles Leclerc?

Domenicali began by reflecting on the period when he got the offer to become F1’s CEO

“When I got the offer from Liberty I spent intense days, so to speak but some trains run once in a lifetime. Saying no would have been really difficult, and so on the one hand, as an Italian, I’m very proud of it”

He accepts that it will be a challenge but pointed out why he has an advantage

“On the other, I know it will be a great challenge. But I know the environment well, and this is an advantage”

He then turned his attention to Ferrari and their former driver and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel

“For Vettel it was obviously a tough year. Imagine you are four times world champion and even before the start of the season you hear that you will no longer be driving for the team next year. That's terrible”

Domenicali concluded his words by looking at the possibility of Ferrari losing Leclerc

“If Leclerc has a competitive car in the short term, Ferrari has nothing to fear. Then they won't lose him. If Ferrari again arrives with a bad car, it could be a problem. He could lose confidence and momentum just like that”


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Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean has confirmed that his “seven fingers” are “back to normal” and has exclaimed that it’s one “hell of a Xmas present”

Former F1 driver Mark Webber thinks that McLaren’s new driver Daniel Ricciardo “drove awesome this year” “because he really felt valued at the team”

He also thinks that Ricciardo will “feel that again at McLaren next year”

He further suggested that F1 needs Ricciardo “more towards the front” as “he’s a guy that needs to be on the podiums. He celebrates success, he celebrates what” F1 “should be about”

McLaren’s technical director James Key has confirmed that they’ve “got plenty of developments to look at and lots of new concepts floating around too”

He added that “the development freeze bought everyone a bit of thinking time. It allowed” them “to take a step back and really analyze the data and what” they’ve done

Williams team principal Simon Roberts “can see the advantages, but” they “don't want to become a B team”

He further explained that they “want to keep” their “independence, but” they “want to be more competitive”

So, for them “looking forward”, they “are open to extending a relationship, but it would be focused on supporting” them “where” they “think” they “need help”

“In simple terms, if” they “are good at something and” they “can do it fast, then” they “should focus on that”

“If there is something” they “cannot do very well, then” they “should be prepared to buy it from whoever has it available”

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer feels that Lewis Hamilton’s “dominance made the running at the front more predictable than F1 and the fans would have liked” in 2020

Renault’s Esteban Ocon thinks that “the whole season” his “development has been very strong and” he’s “happy how” they “were able to finish the season”

He further explained that “it was a lot stronger than at the beginning of the season and” he certainly noticed that he had “more confidence and speed than at the beginning of the year”

Ferrari’s Sports director Laurent Mekies has divulged that “in Barcelona”, they “quickly realized that” they “had to be seriously concerned about some aspects of performance”


If Ferrari doesn’t produce a good car soon, should they be concerned about losing Leclerc?