查尔斯·勒克莱尔和塞尔吉奥·佩雷斯在F1砰的一声询问ures after Lewis Hamilton signs new deal

Henry Valantine 03 Sep 2023 6:45 AM

Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc speak to each other.

Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez were both asked about their contract situations with their respective teams, following the long-awaited news that Lewis Hamilton is extending his stay with Mercedes.

Hamilton’s new deal, to run until the end of 2025, ends any lingering speculation linking him with a move elsewhere, but both Leclerc and Perez see their contracts with Ferrari and Red Bull respectively end at the conclusion of 2024 – with nothing yet decided for them.

Leclerc has denied rumours that he has already signed a contract extension with the Scuderia, while Perez is under scrutiny for his performances alongside Max Verstappen at the dominant force in Formula 1.

查尔斯·勒克莱尔和塞尔吉奥·佩雷斯在F1砰的一声询问ures

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Hamilton’s future was decided along with George Russell at the same time, with the Mercedes duo both signing deals until the 2025 season.

As for Leclerc, he believes talks with Ferrari will commence at the end of the season, with the team’s first focus being trying to reel in Red Bull at the front.

“I mean, on my side, we are in quite a difficult situation at the moment and the priority is to first focus on the job we’ve got to do with the car, because we are quite far off the Red Bull,” Leclerc told media including PlanetF1.com at Monza.

“But then I’m sure that at the end of the season we’ll start the talks. I think I’ve made clear quite a few times what are my intentions for the future.

“My dream has always been of being a Ferrari driver, and I would love to be winning a World Championship with them.

“I’m not too worried about when the discussions will start. I’ve still got a year and a half of contract for now. So I’m not in a rush.”

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From Perez’s point of view, he has had his future confirmed by team boss Christian Horner for the 2024 season, having already been contracted for that year, butrecent comments from Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Markohave suggested that he still needs a strong end to the year to secure his place alongside Verstappen next season.

As for the man himself, he’s keeping calm about his future prospects, and will take the time to talk to Red Bull at the right moment.

“From my side there is still a year and a half to go, so I think there’s no need to change anything,” Perez said.

“It’s more important now to focus on the races ahead and finish the season on a high, and then we will start discussing early next year what’s the plan to go forwards.”