Cadillac F1 ready to sign Charles Leclerc "straight away" as Ferrari exit rumors swirl

Cadillac F1 director Mario Andretti has shared that he's ready to sign Charles Leclerc "straight away" if he wants to leave Ferrari. There have been rumors circling about the Monegasque looking for a team switch after 2026 if the Scuderia fails to move forward in the pecking order under the new technical regulations next year.

The Frederic Vasseur-led team finished second in the constructors' championship in 2024, but has struggled in 2025, with its performance worsening over the course of the season. Mercedes has passed Ferrari for P2 in the standings, and even Red Bull, which effectively has only Max Verstappen earning the big points, is only eight points behind the men in scarlet red.

Charles Leclerc's manager, Nicholas Todt, also recently made comments about how they expect Ferrari to give the 27-year-old a "winning car" in 2026. Moreover, some reports also claimed that Todt had discussions with Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin for a potential team switch for Leclerc.

Charles Leclerc with Frederic Vasseur at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Amid this growingly uncertain Leclerc-Ferrari partnership, Mario Andretti spoke about his liking for the eight-time Grand Prix winner in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport and how he'd want him to join Cadillac F1.

"I'm a big fan of Leclerc; if he really wanted to change teams one day, I'd take him to Cadillac straight away," said the 1978 F1 champion.

Cadillac F1 has signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to form its inaugural driver lineup for 2026. Although the American team confirmed that the duo were signed to multi-year deals, its decision to have Colton Herta leave a top full-time IndyCar drive to serve as Cadillac F1's test driver for 2026 suggested that he could've been promised a seat with the team in 2027.

Though team CEO Dan Towriss emphasized that Herta would've to 'earn' the F1 seat and nothing was a given, a Colton Herta-Charles Leclerc lineup could be a strong base for the General Motors-backed team to build on. However, it seems unlikely that Leclerc would leave Ferrari only to join Cadillac F1, which will be a Ferrari customer team and use its power units and gearboxes for the first few years before it manufactures its own engine components.

Charles Leclerc's damning verdict on Ferrari's deteriorating performance in 2025

Charles Leclerc at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc sounded defeated after the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. Ferrari had a horrendous day out at the Marina Bay Circuit, with both drivers having to lift and coast for most of the 62-lap race. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton also had a brake failure on his front left in the closing stages of the race and limped his way to the end.

After the race, Leclerc, who finished in P6, one position higher than he started in, admitted that both Red Bull and Mercedes had surpassed Ferrari in on-track performance.

"Unfortunately, we don't have the race car to fight with the guys in front," he said via ESPN. "McLaren always had the same gap on us compared to the beginning of the year. Red Bull did a step from Monza and the same level of McLaren. Mercedes now is at the same level of McLaren and Red Bull, and then there's us. And, it's not easy, obviously, because you want to fight for better positions. But at the moment, it just feels like we [are] kind of passengers to the car and we cannot extract much more what's there to salvage from the rest of the season."

In another interview, Charles Leclerc revealed that Ferrari has no upgrades coming to the SF25 for the remainder of the season. This means that the remaining six races effectively become a write-off for the Frederic Vasseur-led team, with them having to defend against Red Bull for P3 in the constructors' championship.

Edited by Yash Kotak