Recently, Ferrari and their sinking F1 ship have been going from bad to worse. It would appear that in 2023, the Scuderia may have finally hit the rock bottom. With neither a fast car nor a reliable one, in the shape of the SF-23, the team from Maranello are arguably down in the dumps. But with pressure mounting on them from the outside, the last thing they needed was an internal controversy that may break the team down from the inside. And alarmingly, their driver Carlos Sainz is in the middle of it all.

Sainz brought the Spanish banking giants Santander back to Ferrari. And since, it would appear that all hell’s broken loose. After Ferrari boss John Elkann’s brother, Lapo Elkann went rogue, it has been hypothesized by many that Sainz has had enough and is willing to cut ties with the Scuderia.

Helmut Marko comes to Ferrari’s aid

But with all of this white noise threatening to distract Ferrari, their arch-rivals Red Bull seem to be sympathizing with the lot. Recently, the Milton-Keynes-based team’s advisor Helmut Marko was quoted giving the storied Italian team a few words of wisdom.

He was quoted by Motorsport.com as saying, “Everyone can share something on the Internet today. The accuracy of the news can no longer be checked. Why would Ferrari and Carlos part ways? That doesn’t make any sense. Carlos is doing a good job. Ferrari has problems other than thinking about Sainz.” [translated via Google Translate]

Read More: Post Santander Stunt, Lapo Elkann Does Damage Control for Carlos Sainz & Charles Leclerc as Ferrari Fans Shun “False Narratives”

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But while the danger of losing Sainz in 2023 may not be real, the looming threat of losing both Sainz and Charles Leclerc in 2024 may be imminent after all.

Grim reality for Ferrari exposed

While Marko’s words may have put the Tifosi at ease for now, he did reveal a more damning eventuality for the Scuderia down the line. As things stand, with relatively uncompetitive 2023 car, the hopes of the team to retain their star drivers hangs by a very thin thread.

Marko explained, “In a nutshell, it is written that a pilot must have a certain number of points at a certain point in the season – usually at the end of the summer – for his contract to be automatically extended. If that’s not the case, both sides have the option to terminate the contract. Sebastian Vettel was able to easily move to Ferrari in 2015 because of this.”

WATCH THIS STORY: What has become an Incessant Problem for Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz in Ferrari’s F1 Challenger?

With both Leclerc and Sainz’s contracts expiring in 2024, will Ferrari find themselves driverless in 2025?