Up Next
Charles Leclerc will stay with Ferrari's Formula 1 team for "several more seasons" after signing a new long-term contract.
At the end of last year, Leclerc was rumoured to have been close to inking a mega five-year deal with Ferrari that would have kept him there until 2029.
Now Ferrari has confirmed it will retain Leclerc for several years beyond the end of his current contract which expires after the 2024 F1 season.
The announcement doesn't specify exactly how many years his new deal will cover.
Leclerc's association with Ferrari stretches back to 2016 when he joined the Ferrari driver academy. Titles in GP3 (now Formula 3) and Formula 2 followed with graduation to F1 coming via Ferrari customer Sauber in 2018.
One year later he was promoted to Ferrari where he soon established himself as the Italian giant's lead driver.
"I’m very pleased to know that I will be wearing the Scuderia Ferrari race suit for several more seasons to come," Leclerc said.
"To race for this team has been my dream since I was three years old: I used to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the window of a friend’s apartment at Ste. Devote corner and I would always look out for the red cars.
"This team is my second family ever since I joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016 and we have achieved a lot together, fighting through thick and thin over the past five years.
"However, I believe the best is yet to come and I can’t wait for this season to start, to make further progress and be competitive at every race.
"My dream remains that of winning the world championship with Ferrari and I’m sure that in the years ahead, we will enjoy great times together and make our fans happy."
Leclerc has earned five grands prix wins, 30 podiums and 23 pole positions across his five years racing for the team but the sustained title challenge he so desperately desires has yet to materialise.
Team boss Fred Vasseur said he was "determined" to give Leclerc a winning car.
His team-mate Carlos Sainz faces an uncertain future beyond the end of this season, with talks to sign an extension with Ferrari seemingly stalled.
