Reports suggest Ferrari’s top brass would pursue George Russell for 2027 should either Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton quit its Formula 1 team.
Ever since his F1 debut, Russell has carved out a decent reputation for himself in the paddock.
With Mercedes, the Briton has consistently delivered top performances – eventually leading the team after Hamilton decided to move to Ferrari from this season onwards.
Despite stellar performances, however, Russell only has a confirmed Mercedes contract for 2026, which includes the option to remain should certain targets be met.
The rumour mill is also confident that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will renew his long-term interest in bringing Max Verstappen to the German marque once again.
With Hamilton’s own struggles for the team this season, failing to score a Grand Prix podium for the Italian marque yet, and Leclerc’s reported disillusionment with the lack of competitiveness the team has shown since 2020, a seat at Ferrari might open in 2027.
As per Corriere della Sera, the upper echelons of Ferrari’s management highly regard the 27-year-old and want Russell on board if either Leclerc or Hamilton opt to leave.
Leclerc opens up on Ferrari future
Leclerc would have come into the season with title ambitions after a late charge for the Constructors’ title last season, coming up 14 points short of McLaren.
However, McLaren has been the runaway pacesetter, condemning Leclerc to yet another season out of title contention.
The paddock was squirming with an inkling of Leclerc’s management in talks with other teams, but he has reiterated that his “obsession” is to only win in red.
“What I can say is what I’ve always said and that’s very clear,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week.
“I’ve always loved Ferrari so much and my only obsession at the moment is to win in red, whether it’s now or in the future. I want to bring back Ferrari to the top.
“It’s always been like that. And I think as a driver, but I think as a team, we’ve just got to focus on our things, which is what we are doing.
“It’s definitely not a situation we want to be in, in a way that the performance is not at the level where we want to be.
“But we are all focused on trying to turn that situation around, as I was saying.
“But what I say today is what I’ve said in the past six or seven years with the team.”
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