06 December 2023 , 07:00
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David Coulthard said he felt sorry for Charles Leclerc this year as his strong performances were not rewarded with a race victory.
Leclerc took pole position five times in 2023. But he failed to convert any of them into a victory with Max Verstappen and Red Bull simply too dominant in terms of race pace for anyone else to be able to match them.
But it is also something of a personal bugbear for the Monegasque. He hasn't converted any of his last 12 pole positions into a win - the last time he took victory from the front grid box was at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.
Leclerc enters the final season of his current Ferrari deal next year. But he is believed to have another five-year extension on the table with the Italian team keen to keep the driver around whom it wants to build its future.
It will be up to the 26-year-old, who harbours title ambitions, to decide whether Ferrari remains the best place for him to achieve those goals. Certainly, his car this year was miles away from the RB19 that dominated the championship.
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Former F1 racer Coulthard and ex-team owner Eddie Jordan discussed Leclerc's situation on their Formula For Success podcast. "I feel for Charles Leclerc, he's brilliantly fast, great guy, didn't manage to get a victory this year," said the Scot.
"He could have been in Vegas but, in the end, the safety car didn't work out and Max was brilliant in his comeback. I think Fred Vasseur has really established himself well as a racing principal and seems to be handling the pressure of Ferrari politics, so I really believe that they'll be stronger next year."
And Jordan concurred, adding: "I thought [Leclerc] stood up to the plate the last couple of races and in his starting position, the way he raced, he in his head is a very clever guy. We see quite a bit of him, he's astute in terms of what's achievable and what's not achievable."
While Leclerc is set to get a new long-term deal, his team-mate Carlos Sainz is not expected to get the same reward for his efforts. Gazzetta dello Sport reports Ferrari only want to give him a one-year extension with one eye on Lando Norris' potential availability at the end of 2025.
But such a strategy risks losing the Spaniard to other potentially interest parties. Red Bull, who are considering their options for potential Sergio Perez replacements at the end of the 2024 season, have been linked with a potential swoop for Sainz.