Charles Leclerc Re-Signs With Ferrari Beyond 2024, But Who Should Join Him? Here Are The Team's Best Options

Charles Leclerc will be staying with Ferrari and throwing on its iconic rossa corsa (that means "racing red," folks, someone knows an ounce of Italiano) for a few more years.

This past "silly season" — when drivers in Formula 1 start swapping seats like it's a game of musical chairs at a horrible birthday party — was flat-out non-existent. The grid for 2023 is the same as it was in 2024.

However, a lot of drivers will be without contracts when the checkered flag waves in Abu Dhabi next fall. That includes both Ferrari drivers — Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz — until Thursday.

The team announced that it had signed Leclerc, whose contract was set to expire following the 2024 season.

How many more years? No idea. For some reason, F1 teams are tight-lipped about contracts and not just when it comes to money. They sometimes don't even announce the term right off the bat.

This is great news for both sides as Leclerc has been seen as the lead driver for years, and keeping at least one driver in the lineup for the long haul (however long that is) is great for team stability.

Carlos Sainz has had a streaky few seasons at Ferrari, but keeping him in the fold might still be the team's best option beyond 2024. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

First Option: Stick With Carlos Sainz

Sainz's time with the Scuderia has been notoriously streaky. He has some wins including the only non-Red Bull win in 2023 when he won the Singapore Grand Prix. Furthermore, he finished just 6 points off of Leclerc in the 2023 drivers standings in the same car.

However, while the highs are high, the lows are low.

We're talking about some costly crashes that tend to snowball. If Sainz has a bad session early in a weekend the whole weekend sometimes becomes a write-off.

Of course, the team is well aware of all of this, which is why I think him sticking with the team is not only the most likely but also the best option. He's a multiple race-winner which is a big deal, but keeping him also means some continuity within the team just like keeping Leclerc does.

The next big set of regulation changes is coming in 2026, so a two-year deal for Sainz would allow the team to maintain its lineup from the 2022 regulation changes. That's big because Leclerc and Sainz have both been involved in current car development. Letting them finish this generation instead of bringing a completely different driver into the fold makes a lot of sense.

However, if the team wants a change there are some solid options...

Alex Albon's return to form over the last two seasons at Williams should have him on every top team's radar. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Second Option: Poach Alex Albon

Alex Albon will be entering his third season with Williams, and it's only a matter of time before one of the top teams swoops in and takes him, and that could be Ferrari.

Of course, Albon was once at Red Bull, so he has the experience of being at a top-tier team, but it's with Williams that people have been reminded of how good he is.

In his two seasons at Wiliams, Albon has gotten the most out of the car when possible. Both years with Albon in the lineup the team has had a car that works best on tracks that call for low downforce set-ups like Monza or the Las Vegas Street Circuit and has been especially strong in qualifying.

Albon's bounce back from his rough season and a half as Max Verstappen's teammate also shows that he can handle the high-pressure environment of driving for the Scuderia.

He should be the main target if Ferrari wants to move on from Sainz, however, there still is one other option on the table worth considering.

Third Option: Look To Bring In A Rookie (Which Ferrari Doesn't Normally Do)

Due to the relative stability of the Formula 1 grid over the last couple of seasons, a lot of highly touted Formula 2 graduates have been forced to look for seats outside of F1. This means that there is a lot of talent floating around that could get a shot.

There is no shortage of options here. Maybe Callum Ilott who spent two seasons in IndyCar after racing through the junior formulas as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He's going to be racing in the World Endurance Championship this season.

2022 F2 champ Felipe Drugovich is another option. He's racing in Formula E this season.

However, if Ferrari wants to go for a rookie, the obvious best choice is Théo Pourchaire. Pourchaire was part of the Sauber Academy and was Alfa Romeo's reserve driver last year.

Here's the thing though: Ferrari rarely employs an F1 rookie. It hasn't since 1972 with Arturo Merzario (who didn't even race the full season). Even Charles Leclerc — the team's Golden Boy — did a full season with Sauber before making his Ferrari debut.

Ferrari doesn't need to go with rookies because, well, they're Ferrari, plus how many rookies can deal with the pressure of racing there? Not many.

It'll be interesting to see who gets that second seat at Ferrari in 2024. Do the team stick with Sainz? Poach a known quantity like Albon? Or maybe Ferrari will shock everyone and throw a rookie in one of its cars for the first time in more than 50 years?

We'll know soon enough.

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