Charles Leclerc ends speculation over F1 future by signing "multi-year" Ferrari contract extension

Charles Leclerc has committed his Formula 1 future to Ferrari by signing a new "multi-year" contract extension. 

Ferrari announced the new deal on the eve of Leclerc's home race, the Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend. 

It is the latest long-term contract Leclerc has signed since joining Ferrari in 2019, with his last, which covered until the end of the 2029 season, penned in January 2024. 

There had been speculation surrounding the 28-year-old Monegasque's long-term future but he has now put that to bed by reaffirming his loyalty to the famous Italian team. 

"I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP," Leclerc said. 

"It has always been so much more than just a team to me. It’s the team I’ve loved and dreamt of being part of since I was a child, and after all these years it has become a second family."

Leclerc says he is determined to achieve his dream of winning the F1 world championship with Ferrari. 

"Together we’ve shared incredible moments and some tougher ones, but I believe in this team more than ever, and I’m deeply grateful that we will keep pushing side by side toward our shared goal of bringing the World Championship back to Maranello," he added. 

"Being a Ferrari driver is a dream, but it’s also a responsibility I never take for granted. I’ll continue to give absolutely everything I have to bring this team back to where it belongs, at the very top, for everyone in Maranello, and above all for the tifosi, whose passion is the heartbeat of this Scuderia."

Leclerc has been nurtured by Ferrari since 2016 when he joined the Scuderia's driver academy. He rapidly rose through the junior ranks, winning back-to--back titles in Formula 3 (then GP3) and Formula 2 before making his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber. 

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said: "Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us. 

"Over these seasons we have seen him grow, to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also a person who is completely at one with the team and everything Ferrari represents. 

"We appreciate his talent, we love his determination and the way he approaches every day with the people in the Scuderia, both on and off the track. We know how much this project means to him and we are happy to continue working towards our shared goals."

Leclerc currently sits third in the world championship with 75 points. He is 56 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and three clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.