Why Charles Leclerc pledged his F1 future to Ferrari - despite other options

Charles Leclerc has explained his reasons for pledging his Formula 1 future to Ferrari. 

Ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari announced that the 28-year-old Monegasque had put pen to paper on a new multi-year deal. While exact details of the contract extension were not disclosed by Ferrari, it is likely that the new deal will keep Leclerc at Ferrari until at least 2030.

Leclerc has been a Ferrari protege since 2016 and joined the legendary F1 team in 2019. He has competed in 155 grands prix, taking 27 pole positions and eight victories, though he has not yet been able to challenge for world championship glory, which remains his ultimate goal.

“It’s not that I had a timeline in my head, but why it was very clear”, Leclerc said in the pre-event FIA press conference on Thursday in the Monaco paddock.

“I love the team, I think that’s pretty obvious from the outside. It’s been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with Ferrari as a whole. They’ve been one of the first people to believe in me and to help me get to where I am today.

“I believe in the project most of all. With Fred, we have a very, very good relationship and I strongly believe that he is the person that will be able to bring Ferrari back to the top.

“It’s been a good start to the season, obviously not as good as we would have wanted, because we wanted to target the world championship. But there’s been a lot of innovation on the car. We know where we are lacking and that’s probably more the engine side. We’ve got a plan coming up and hopefully it will help us get back to where we want to be.

“But why, it’s because I love in the team and I believe in the project. For these two reasons, that’s why we continue together.”

Leclerc had other options on the table

Leclerc was understandably tight-lipped about several aspects regarding his new deal but he was willing to reveal that he had other options on the table.

"There were, yes,” he confirmed. “I’m not going to say who. They can say it if they want. But for me, Ferrari was always the choice.”

Leclerc would not, however, divulge whether any performance-related exit clauses had been inserted into his latest contract, though he appeared to suggest this was the case.

“My love for the team is very, very big. But of course winning is important for every driver, it’s what we race for,” he explained.

“But winning in red for me has got a very unique feeling and something I’ve dedicated all the years so far in Formula 1 to try and achieve. We didn’t manage to achieve that yet, at least on a full season.

“I cannot go into too much detail on the contracts, so I cannot comment on the main question, but surely it’s part of those discussions.”

Leclerc also downplayed concerns that he could risk wasting the best years of his career, insisting: “I’m still very young! I’m 28, so I still have many years ahead of me. 

“But at the moment, this is what feels right for me and this is where I want to put all my focus, in trying to win with the team that I love, that believed in me, that gave me the chance to be where I am today.

“That’s why it felt right to me. For the future, we will see. I don’t know what life will look like in five, six, seven or 10 year’s time but it’s not the moment to think about it.”