Charles Leclerc's manager, Nicholas Todt, has told Ferrari exactly what they need to do to stop him leaving to join another F1 team.
The 2025 Formula One season is coming to an end and with only six race weekends left in the calendar, fans have already started looking ahead to 2026.
With a set of new regulations that could significantly impact which teams have the best car and a new team set to arrive on the grid alongside two drivers, the 2026 season is expected to be one of the best in some time.
As it stands, there are still six seats that are yet to be confirmed next season, with the likes of George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Antonelli yet to confirm their plans for next year.
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Ferrari have already secured both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for next season, but Leclerc's manager has sent the team a clear warning about keeping the Monegasque at the team in the future.
Like any other driver hoping to win a Drivers' Championship title at some point in their career, Leclerc will be hoping that Ferrari can hit the ground running with the 2026 regulations.
Should they produce a car that perfectly adjusted to the new rules, there's a strong chance that the 27-year-old could lead the iconic team to their first Drivers' title since 2007.
But if they fail to make a title-challenging car, then Todt has warned that Leclerc may have to consider his options elsewhere so that he can live up to his full potential.
“A lot of drivers are waiting to see how well each team will have worked, and how good their car will be – to say ‘I want to stay in my team’ or ‘I want to go to another team because they are doing a better job," Todt told The Strait Times.
“Charles is one of the best talent of his generation, with Max and a few of the drivers. He’s not a baby anymore because he has done a lot of seasons with Ferrari. And of course, I think that we still need to have a winning car.
“Today, we have a good car, but not enough to win the title… We hope it will happen, and we hope next year Ferrari will have a very good car with the new regulations.”
The comments come a report from Sky Italia, via F1 Oversteer, claimed that Ferrari were holding a serious meeting to address their current issues with chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna.
But if they cannot get things together in 2026 then it is certain that Leclerc will have plenty of options available to him, with every single team on the gird likely to be monitoring the eight-time race winner's current situation.
Topics: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Formula 1
Ben McCrum