Charles Leclerc: Ferrari driver signs long-term contract
Charles Leclerc announced the renewal of his Ferrari contract with a lavish video on social media expressing his love for the team.
Leclerc, now 28 years old, has been racing for Ferrari in F1 since 2019, has been in Ferrari’s driver academy since 2016, and has been under their protection since the age of 14.
He talked about how joining them was like “living a dream.” He said Ferrari was a “family”, adding: “Perhaps that is exactly what makes this moment so special. It was always clear to me. My dream is still alive and I am proud to continue chasing it together.”
That dream is to win the world championship together. And as always, it’s elusive.
Since joining Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc has proven himself to be one of the elite F1 drivers while also winning just eight races.
That’s a pretty slim accolade for a driver many consider the fastest single-lap driver on the sport’s most historically successful team.
This is a reflection not of Leclerc himself, but of Ferrari’s continued failure over the last two decades. This season’s new rules marked a moment of hope and promise yet to be fulfilled.
Sources at Ferrari say Leclerc’s contract does not expire this year and that this is a contract extension, not a simple exercise of an option clause.
This likely means he is under contract until the end of next year; The same is believed to be the case with teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, there are sources saying that Leclerc has a potential exit route at the end of this year, depending on Ferrari’s performance levels. Either way, it was clear the team was eager to lock him up.
As it should be, the driver market could be turbulent this year as Max Verstappen’s future in the sport remains uncertain. Leclerc is a desirable commodity for other teams, to say the least.
As for Leclerc himself, he didn’t really have that many options even if he wanted to.
Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are said to remain on contract for at least next year, given the team’s competitiveness in 2026.
And if any driver should go there instead of one of them, it would be Verstappen, the team boss Toto Wolff has envied for years.
McLaren is also committed to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the foreseeable future.
In this context, sticking with Ferrari for a few more seasons – possibly until 2029 – seems like a logical option for Leclerc, even if there will be times when his faith in his dream will be tested.
