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Christian Danner claims Charles Leclerc's career would be more successful if he had joined Red Bull instead of Ferrari. Leclerc has struggled to compete for championships during his eight seasons with Ferrari, facing team issues and personal mistakes.
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Christian Danner believes that Charles Leclerc would have a more impressive CV had he joined Red Bull instead of Ferrari.
The Monegasque driver is now in his eighth season with Ferrari, but he still hasnāt come close to fighting for the championship. The team havenāt delivered a car capable of challenging, and strategic missteps combined with mistakes from Leclerc havenāt helped his cause.
Following a winless 2025 season, reports began circulating about his future. Although under contract until 2029, there are suggestions he could look to leave as early as 2026 with interest from other teams growing.
This yearās SF-26 has been solid, and Ferrari have finished third in every race so far. Leclerc is enjoying a good battle with Lewis Hamilton, but the car isnāt yet fast enough to take the fight to Mercedes.
Danner thinks this situation will be weighing on Leclercās mind as he considers what comes next. The former F1 driver feels things might have unfolded differently if Leclerc had chosen Red Bull earlier in his career.
Red Bull reached out to Leclercās camp last year as they were preparing for the possibility of Max Verstappen leaving the team. Speaking to Motorsport-Magazin, Danner said that Leclerc might have had āmajor successesā had he made the move to Milton Keynes.
āCharles Leclerc is indeed underrated when it comes to his actual performance,ā Danner said. āThis is partly down to the fact that the regulations are what they are this year, and he can no longer show in qualifying what heās actually capable of.
āOf course, itās also down to Ferrari, no question about it. Theyāve obviously kept putting a bit of a brake on things time and again. A Leclerc who had, say, driven for Red Bull or McLaren for years would certainly have a few major successes to his name by now.
āAnd, on the other hand, thereās one thing we mustnāt forget. Leclerc is also a bit of a self-made man, so staying at Ferrari has various advantages and various disadvantages. I reckon he knows exactly what heās capable of.
Christian Danner suggests that Leclerc would have a more impressive career if he had chosen Red Bull, potentially leading to more championship opportunities.
Leclerc has struggled with a lack of a competitive car, strategic missteps from the team, and his own mistakes, hindering his championship pursuits.
Leclerc is under contract with Ferrari until 2029, but there are rumors he may leave as early as 2026 due to interest from other teams.
Leclerc had a winless 2025 season, which sparked discussions about his future with Ferrari and potential moves to other teams.

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āAnd whatās even more important, the people at Ferrari know that too, and they pay him a salary to match. So yes our viewer is right. Heās a bit underrated there.ā
āOn the other hand, heās so well paid that I actually think heās ended up in a compromise that isnāt the worst, though Iām absolutely certain he keeps asking himself: āIsnāt there another solution? Canāt I go somewhere where things are moving in the right direction?āā
With Verstappenās departure from F1 after 2026 becoming increasingly likely, Red Bull now appears more interested in signing Carlos Sainz than his former Ferrari teammate.
But Danner thinks Leclerc is right to take his time making a decision. Ferrari has shown signs of progress this season, and thereās still a chance they could give him a competitive car in the near future.
āHonestly, I donāt think thatās the stupidest approach heās taking, because itās quite possible that Ferrari will get the hang of the corner at some point and then heāll be in the right place,ā he said.
āAnd I think itās clear to me that if I were in a situation like that Iād think about it: āRight, where do I actually want to go?ā
āWell, I want to go to Mercedes, but only since this year. Last year it wasnāt that exciting, and I think waiting is probably the smartest solution, which is probably what I would have chosen as well.ā
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