Charles Leclerc has agreed a contract extension to stay at Ferrari, taking himself off Formula 1’s market for the foreseeable future.
No contract length was specified, although the statement that “[Leclerc] continue to wear the team’s colours for the coming seasons” suggests that the two have agreed another multi-year deal.
The deal was announced ahead of his home grand prix in Monaco, where he took victory back in 2024.
Leclerc signed his previous contract in that season, again on a multi-year basis. The Monegasque has previously stated that his ultimate goal F1 is to become the world champion with Ferrari, thus making it unsurprising that he is keen to stay.
This should take him beyond Michael Schumacher’s current record for Formula 1 grand prix starts for the team, which stands at 180; Leclerc is currently on 155.
“I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP. It has always been so much more than just a team to me,” Leclerc said.
“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.
“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.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
“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 is second only to Schumacher in total pole positions for Ferrari, although has some way to go to match the seven-time champion, who is on 58 to Leclerc’s 27. The gap in wins is even more stark, with Schumacher on 72 wins to the Monegasque’s eight; Leclerc has rarely had a car that can perform in both qualifying and races, as demonstrated by his 18.5% conversion rate of poles to wins.
Regardless, this has not deterred Leclerc from his ultimate goal of winning titles with Ferrari.
“Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us,” added team principal Fred Vasseur.
“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.”
Lewis Hamilton also revealed during the Canadian GP weekend that he was also in contract for 2027, thus it is expected that the team will continue with the same line-up for next year. This will likely keep Ferrari academy product Ollie Bearman at Haas for another year.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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