Charles Leclerc rubbishes claims he is looking for Ferrari exit door

Charles Leclerc has rejected suggestions he is looking to exit the Ferrari F1 team.

Reports in Italian media have claimed that Leclerc is contemplating his future at Ferrari despite being contracted to the Scuderia until 2029.

The reports suggest Leclerc is “looking around” at potential opportunities because he has lost faith in Ferrari and grown frustrated with the team's lack of competitiveness following a challenging start to the 2025 season.

But Leclerc has moved to rubbish the speculation by reaffirming his commitment to Ferrari and stating his “surprise” at the rumours.

“I’m very surprised. I mean, I have no idea from where it’s coming from. So, yeah, I’d rather just ignore it," Leclerc said ahead of this weekend's F1 Canadian Grand Prix. 

“I’ve never said anything of this in the last few races. If anything, I keep saying how much I love the team and how much I want to bring back Ferrari to the top. So I was surprised.

“We surely have a vision that we share as [a] three. You know, Fred, Lewis and myself, in order to try and get back to winning.

“And we’ve been working to put that all together. And so, yeah, this is for sure our plan. And I think we should stick to it.”

Leclerc sits fifth in the drivers’ championship, 92 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after just nine races, while Ferrari are a gigantic 197 points adrift of McLaren in the constructors' standings. 

Ferrari have failed to provide Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton with a car that has yet been capable of winning grands prix. 

Leclerc unfazed by Ferrari rumours

Leclerc was quick to point out that speculation surrounding Ferrari and the team’s performance is nothing new for him.

“The pressure, we are already putting ourselves under a lot of pressure. Then, of course, there are some talks that it’s not something that you want to hear,” he said.

“But the pressure is normal to have it. When you are working for Ferrari, second is never good enough. But we are all aware of it.

“So it’s not like the outside pressure is having any influence on the pressure that we put ourselves first. We want to be winning. And as I keep saying, it’s not good enough.

“But I’m not the only one to say that all the team knows that it’s not good enough and that Ferrari should be winning.

“And that’s what we are putting all our thoughts into, is to try and bring Ferrari back to the top. At the moment, McLaren is a stronger team and it’s up to us to react.

“But yeah, we definitely need to forget everything about what is said around the team. But I think that’s something I got used to with the years.

“Obviously, there are times where you’ve got more rumours to deal with, and mostly with you, because the questions are obviously directed into certain topics and it’s not always a nice thing to do. But I understand it.

“And at the end of the day, that’s how Ferrari is and has always been. So you’ve got to deal with it. But I don’t think we are affected by it.”