Leclerc and the Hot 2027 Formula 1 Driver Market

(GMM) Charles Leclerc’s manager Nicolas Todt (pictured with Leclerc) believes Formula 1’s 2027 driver market will be “very hot” – comments that come just as speculation grows about Oscar Piastri’s long-term future and Ferrari’s next move.

Leclerc has remained publicly loyal – although obviously frustrated – through Ferrari’s latest struggles, but Todt hinted that all top drivers, including his client, will reassess their options once the new regulations arrive.

“A lot of drivers are waiting to see how well each team will have worked, and how good their car will be to say ‘I want to stay in my team’ or ‘I want to go to another team because they are doing a better job,'” Todt told The Straits Times in Singapore.

He said Leclerc “is one of the best talents of his generation, with Max and a few others,” but admitted Ferrari must still deliver a title-winning car. “Today we have a good car, but not enough to win the title,” he said.

“We hope next year Ferrari will have a very good car with the new regulations.”

The comments add fresh intrigue as rumors swirl that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – frustrated after his Singapore clash with teammate Lando Norris – could eventually land at Ferrari.

Piastri’s manager, former F1 driver Mark Webber, recently told RMC Motori that Ferrari remains “a point of arrival” for the Australian. “For now, he must stay at McLaren,” Webber said. “He must complete his development, and even if Ferrari remains a point of arrival, he must achieve the final result.

“In the meantime, it would be better if he improved his Italian,” he joked.