Charles Leclerc was coy on speculation over Mattia Binotto's future, as rumours continue to swirl about the relationship between the Ferrari team boss and driver.
According to L'Equipe, the two "no longer speak" to one another as their relationship has apparently fully broken down. The French news outlet pointed to the British Grand Prix as a starting point, after which the team boss was spotted giving his driver a firm dressing down by TV cameras.
Ferrari have made a handful of costly mistakes this season, which contributed to their and Leclerc's failed title challenges. The Monegasque racer has also bee frustrated over a lack of team orders, including that weekend at Silverstone and, most recently, at last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
After that race at Interlagos, the Italian media reported that the team was considering a change of leadership. Reporter Leo Turrini said Ferrari were "talking about" replacing Binotto, while he too pointed at "a relationship which is not always very fluid" between the team principal and Leclerc.
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur was named as a potential successor to Binotto if Ferrari were to pull the trigger. The Italian company's GT racing chief is another option named, while McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl has also been linked.
So strong was the speculation that Ferrari felt the need to issue a public statement on the matter. "In relation to speculation in certain media regarding Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto's position, Ferrari states that these rumours are totally without foundation," it read.
In the Abu Dhabi press conference on Thursday, Leclerc was asked about those rumours. Rather than give a straight answer, the racer chose to redirect focus instead to the final race of the season.
"There are always rumours surrounding Ferrari, we just have to focus on the job," he told reporters. "I think people tend to forget where we come from, but we just have to look at the work and not pay attention to the rumours.
"As for performance, we've come from ups and downs. An accident in Brazil, but the pace was good. After two difficult years, we hope to finish and fight for victory again, even if we think about the 2023 championship. Stability has paid off, we are improving and will grow further."
