Editor's Desk: Charles Leclerc and Ferrari insist on their comfort zone

Leclerc has been with Ferrari as a team since 2019, when he joined and dethroned an over-the-hill Sebastian Vettel and confirmed his position as the Reds' chosen one. He was with their driver academy before that.

Carlos Sainz came and went, and now Lewis Hamilton is there and will probably go before Leclerc's latest contract extension expires.

However, the Leclerc/Ferrari relationship has not been the match made in heaven both of them hoped for, despite some highlights here and there. The 2019 win in Monza, the 2024 win in Monaco, and another win in Monza in 2024.

We also have to credit Leclerc for his 27 poles with Ferrari, which is proof that he is probably the best qualifier out there in Formula 1 and I dare say better than Max Verstappen, who is the benchmark of this generation.

But aside from that, we have to admit that Ferrari and Leclerc have not delivered on the hype. Eight wins for the Monegasque over the course of eight seasons at Maranello is hardly a statistic to be proud of - one win per season. Verstappen scored 66 GP victories during the same period, he is now on 71, he and Red Bull delivered.

Meanwhile Ferrari continued to produce subpar single-seaters and implode whenever race conditions became a bit tricky for their strategy department.

On the other hand, Leclerc continued to make mistakes in race conditions, his spin in the Miami Grand Prix being the latest example.

But then, both parties agree to continue together, and honestly, that raises questions about both of them being unattractive options for other teams and drivers, respectively.

Ferrari has history of being a graveyard of talents and F1 champions. Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and now Hamilton are proof.

The team also has failed to deliver at many opportunities. The started the ground effect era well in 2022 but then faded out as Red Bull dominated. They made so much noise about starting work early on their 2026 F1 car, the SF-26, built to the new regulations, and Mercedes beat them overall.

Even Red Bull reportedly have a better power unit than Ferrari, and that is as bad as insults go for a team that historically took pride in their engines. Enzo Ferrari must be turning in his grave. Il Commendatore famously said: "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines."

All this should make any driver think twice before joining Ferrari, a driver serious about winning that is, not just wanting a nice company car.

As for Leclerc, he is yet to convince that he can lead a team towards Championships. He is blindingly fast but not consistent, especially when it comes to race execution.

But staying with Ferrari, who keep bungling cars and strategies, will keep Charlie protected from criticism. He can always blame the car, the team, or the strategy while enjoying life in Monaco driving classic Ferraris and spending time on luxury yachts.

It is the comfort zone that neither Ferrari nor Leclerc is willing to leave.