“I’ve always made it very clear that my goal is to be a world champion, but firstly with Ferrari.” Charles Leclerc had a childhood dream to race for Ferrari. In 2019, he achieved that. Since then, he set his sights on becoming the World Champion. Unfortunately for Leclerc, it’s been a case of ‘right place at the wrong time’ for the past few years. Despite all the heartbreak courtesy of the Scuderia, the Monegasque still has faith in Ferrari, probably more than the Tifosi combined. But a declaration of love at the Abu Dhabi GP might’ve just instigated a swarm of unwanted—but not uncalled for—rumors.

There’s no doubt Charles Leclerc has championship-winning potential. On the current grid, he’s one of the—if not the—fastest drivers on one-lap pace. And if given the car, he’s proved he has what it takes to win races. Considering the SF-23 isn’t a race-winning car, 2023 has been quite a substandard year for Leclerc. The closest he came to winning a race was at the Las Vegas GP, where he finished in P2. Understandably, rumors about him leaving the team post-2024 (when his contract expires) sprung up. But Leclerc’s recent activity may have just set an earlier date for his rumored exit.

For the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Leclerc has a special helmet that says, “Grazie Ferrari,” which translates to ‘Thank you, Ferrari.’ Why would he be thanking Ferrari if he isn’t leaving? That was the question on almost every Ferrari fan’s mind. Despite Leclerc assuring that his loyalties lie with Ferrari and explaining the meaning behind the helmet, his argument wasn’t convincing enough for the Tifosi.

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For the Tifosi, writing “Grazie Ferrari” on his helmet is just as good as saying he’s leaving the team. Needless to say, speculations ran rampant on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

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Charles Leclerc couldn’t have made his love for Ferrari any clearer. In Abu Dhabi, he explained his helmet design on Ferrari’s Instagram page. He said, “Last race of the season, which means a special helmet. As I’ve done in the past few years, I always do that to try and thank every single person on the team. I put all the names on the helmet.”

The 26-year-old also mentioned how he missed some of the names. So he wrote those missed names with a marker. Talk about being wholesome! Leclerc further added, “So this is a special helmet for all the people involved. ‘Grazie Ferrari,’ which means ‘Thanks, Ferrari.’ We’ll push at the maximum in order to finish this season on a high.”

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See? All he meant by “Grazie Ferrari” was a thank you to all the team members, not to Ferrari the constructor. But that didn’t stop the Tifosi from freaking out about a potential early departure.

Despite Leclerc doing this every season, “it seems like a goodbye” in 2023. In 2022, the Monegasque had a race-winning car for a while. So, his appreciation for Ferrari seemed valid. The Scuderia gave him a race-winning car for as long as it could, and he clinched his best season result with a P2. This season has been very different because the best he can finish is in P4. Is Leclerc finally done with Ferrari?

Many fans believe his talent is being wasted at Ferrari. Considering this, many of them wished he’d just switch to a team that could give him a championship-winning car. Even though they might’ve said it, no Tifosi really meant it. And now, this possible scenario has got them scared.

Seeing as Leclerc hasn’t had the best of seasons, and Ferrari hasn’t given him much more than heartbreak in 2023, maybe his thank you was just a way of saying, “Good riddance!” At least, that’s what a fan wrote: “Grazie, as in ‘peace, I’m leaving’ lol.”

Earlier this year, there were rumors about Leclerc’s possible switch to Red Bull. Helmut Marko even said that Leclerc is one of the only drivers who might actually be a good fit for the Milton-Keynes team. Also, Max Verstappen mentioned in Abu Dhabi how he’d like to have Leclerc as a teammate. Don’t all these signs point to a possible “WELCOME TO RED BULL RACING?”

But, no matter what anyone says, Leclerc is contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2024. So, technically, there’s no way he’s cut short his contract, especially when there are no other seats available on the grid for 2024. While everyone was freaking out, one fan put forth the facts. 

What were your thoughts on the special helmet Charles Leclerc has for the Abu Dhabi GP? Did you think it was a farewell helmet, too? 

WATCH THIS STORY | How Long Will Charles Leclerc Wait for Ferrari – Will He Leave for Some Other Team Post-2024?