Ferrari make decision on Leclerc and Sainz amid ‘flurry of interest from rivals’

Leclerc’s new contract will be prioritised by the Scuderia before they turn to Sainz, who has offers to quit Ferrari, according to F1.com’s Lawrence Barretto.

“Sources say Ferrari have already opened talks with Leclerc and are keen to lock him down with a new multi-year contract,’” he reported.

“The Italian team are also believed to be keen to retain Sainz, though it is likely they will sort Leclerc’s contract first before getting the Spaniard’s deal finalised.

“Sainz is in a good position though. The 28-year-old is believed to be highly-rated among Ferrari’s engineers and has proved he can deliver consistency – he’s scored points in all but two races this season.

“And sources say he’s had a flurry of interest – both formal and informal – from multiple rival teams for his services in 2025.”

Leclerc, who challenges for last season’s F1 championship, will pen a £160m deal for two years with the option of three more, Sportune reported.

It was also claimed that Leclerc spoke to Mercedes, Red Bull, Aston Martin and Alpine before committing himself to Ferrari.

Sainz plans to sign a pre-agreement for the 2025 season with Audi, who are entering the championship, according to AutoAction.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur does not acknowledge either Leclerc or Sainz as his team’s No 1 driver.

But this has been another drab year for the famous team who haven’t crowned an F1 champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

They are nowhere near Red Bull and have even slipped behind Mercedes and McLaren, and Aston Martin earlier in the year.