Charles Leclerc swears loyalty to Ferrari, extends F1 contract: ‘Dream still lives’

Charles Leclerc has extended his contract with Ferrari again. The Scuderia officially announced this on Wednesday. A few days before his home race, the 28-year-old Monegasque once again pledges loyalty to the Italian racing team, where he has been active since 2019. Soon, Leclerc will become the Ferrari driver with the most races in red to his name, and many more Grands Prix will be added in the coming years; the new agreement is a multi-year contract.

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The contract extension comes as no surprise. Leclerc has been known for years as Ferrari’s Golden Boy, the driver who is supposed to bring the team the long-awaited world title. In 2016, he was admitted to the Ferrari Driver Academy, after which he progressed to Formula 1 in 2018. In his debut year, he earned his stripes at Sauber before taking over Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari seat in 2019. Since then, Ferrari has extended his contract several times, and he will remain connected to the Scuderia in the coming years. The exact duration of the new agreement has not been disclosed. With 155 races, Leclerc is now the driver with the second most races for Ferrari. Michael Schumacher holds the record with 180 races.

In recent years, Leclerc has developed into one of the fastest drivers of his generation. Especially on Saturdays, he regularly excels; with 27 pole positions, he is now among the absolute specialists over one lap. He is also praised in races for his mature driving style, which over the years has produced great duels with, among others, his generation peer Max Verstappen. In total, he has won eight Grands Prix, but a world title is still missing from his palmarès. In 2022, he came closest when Ferrari delivered a competitive car under the new ground effect regulations and he finished second in the championship.

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Childhood Dream

“When I started at Ferrari, I was a child living his dream,” Leclerc responded to his contract extension. “That dream is still alive, and I am proud to continue chasing it together with the team. For me, Ferrari has always been much more than just a team. After all these years, it feels like a second family. We have shared great moments together but also endured difficult periods. I believe in this team more than ever and am grateful that we can continue working together towards our common goal: bringing the world title back to Maranello.”

For Frédéric Vasseur, extending the contract also felt like a logical step. According to the team principal, Leclerc has grown over the years into an indispensable link within the team. “Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years, and this extension feels very natural to us,” said Vasseur. “We have seen him grow into one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also into someone who is fully integrated with the team and everything Ferrari stands for.”

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