Damon Hill: I think Leclerc is stuck at Ferrari

Damon Hill has dismissed any chance of Charles Leclerc leaving Ferrari, with whom he has a contract until 2024, at the end of this year.

This is despite the rumours that the Monegasque could be an option for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton has a contract expiring at the end of this campaign.

Leclerc himself said something that fuelled speculation in Baku, when he revealed that Toto Wolff hadn't called him "yet".

In his Sky Sports podcast, Damon Hill has now offered his sceptical opinion on Leclerc's chances of a move.

"I think he [Leclerc] is rather stuck at Ferrari for a bit," Hill stated.

"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."

The options for Leclerc

The issue for Leclerc is that Red Bull appear to have a settled driver line-up with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, and replacing Perez would mean becoming number two to Verstappen.

As for Mercedes, many expect Hamilton to renew his deal and the car is also much slower than the Red Bull right now.

"Red Bull, I doubt it," Hill added.

"With Mercedes, I'm sure that Toto will be sticking with Lewis until Lewis decides that he's not going to race anymore.

"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.

"Aston Martin are a coming team. Possibly, if it continues to be dire at Ferrari, then maybe he'll look elsewhere, but I think he's better off where he is."