1996 Formula 1 World Championship Damon Hill believes that Charles Leclerc is stuck at the Ferrari Formula 1 team for the foreseeable future amid speculation that he could look to exit the team.
In recent weeks, Leclerc has been linked with a move to the Mercedes squad.
The 25-year-old has endured a difficult handful of years with Ferrari and has been unable to challenge for the title since joining the Italian outfit in 2019.
The Monegasque driver asserted that he was focused on his job at Ferrari, but fuelled the rumours when he stated that no talks had been held with Mercedes “yet”.
Lewis Hamilton’s future at Mercedes is currently in the air – the seven-time World Champion is yet to sign an extension to remain with the squad beyond the 2023 campaign.
However, Hill is confident that Hamilton will remain with Mercedes next year, putting the cork in a potential move for Leclerc.
“I think he’s rather stuck at Ferrari for a bit,” Hill told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“He’s never really been in an extended campaign for the championship. There have been moments that it’s been good and then they’ve faded, and he’s also had these blots on his copybook with qualifying, the banzai lap that goes wrong.
“When you look around at the top teams, who they have in their teams, they’re probably content with what they’ve got at the moment – I’m not sure that there’s anywhere else for him to go.
“Red Bull, I doubt it. Mercedes, I’m sure that Toto will be sticking with Lewis until Lewis decides that he’s not going to race anymore, and I think Charles is the perfect fit for Ferrari.
“So I think he’s there for the long term, until they give him a car that he can go for a championship with.”
Hill also commented that Aston Martin could be a potential destination for Leclerc when Fernando Alonso opts to retire from the sport.
The Silverstone-based squad has fired out of the blocks in 2023 and currently sits second in the standings after the opening five rounds.
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