Teammate Carlos Sainz 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."
