F1 Rumor: Sainz Jr. unhappy with Ferrari’s 2025 contract offer (Update)

(GMM) Frederic Vasseur has hinted that he may offer Carlos Sainz a new long-term Ferrari contract through 2027.

Recently, rumors swirled that the Italian team’s boss had sealed a lucrative new deal with Charles Leclerc to keep him in red until 2030 – but was only offering Spaniard Sainz a new two-year extension.

Both drivers are under contract until the end of 2024.

“We have meetings and we have started conversations,” Vasseur told international media at a Christmas lunch event at Fiorano. “But we have a lot of time compared to what Mercedes did, when they renewed their two drivers in August.”

He hit back at the recurring rumor that Leclerc is basically Ferrari’s preferred driver.

“We have two drivers and two cars and both scored more or less the same points during the year,” said the Frenchman.

“And if I have the two right drivers for Ferrari for 2024, then I want to have them for 2025, 2026 and 2027,” Vasseur added.

He confirmed that Ferrari’s 2024 car, featuring “95 percent” new components compared to this year, will be revealed publicly on February 13.

(GMM) Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. is reportedly unhappy with the deal Ferrari is offering him for a new contract beyond 2024.

According to the authoritative Italian journalist Luigi Perna, the Maranello team is wooing Charles Leclerc for the future with a huge five-year contract and a salary doubled from 25 to 50 million euros per season until 2029 inclusive.

As for Sainz, however, Perna claims in La Gazzetta dello Sport that while the Spaniard wants at least a new two-year contract for 2025 and 2026, Ferrari is only offering him a single-season extension.

Admitting that the details still need to be ironed out, Perna writes: “Leclerc has in fact reached a long-term agreement to stay another five seasons at Maranello.”

But the talks with Sainz are reportedly much more troubled, as Ferrari wants to leave the door open beyond 2025 to kick off the new era of regulations from 2026 with a fresh new talent – like McLaren’s Lando Norris.

“McLaren could therefore be the team Sainz moves to in the future,” Perna claims, “although a vacancy at Red Bull could also open up if Sergio Perez leaves.”

Ferrari’s main focus for now, of course, is on catching up with Red Bull as quickly as possible, although most pundits have hailed Frederic Vasseur’s progress after the Frenchman’s first season in charge at Maranello.

“We have taken a huge step forward,” Vasseur is quoted as saying, “which presents us with a promising vision of the future.

“But that does not mean that we will be there at the beginning next year. I don’t want to be too optimistic because that was certainly our biggest problem this season as well.

“We just have to focus on ourselves without worrying about winning the championship until we actually do it.”