“I love this team and I believe in the project," explains Leclerc his contract extension with Ferrari

Ferrari confirmed on Wednesday that Charles Leclerc has signed a new long‑term contract with the Scuderia, extending a partnership that began a decade ago in the Ferrari Driver Academy and has now carried him through eight seasons in Formula 1.

Speaking ahead of his home race in Monaco, Leclerc outlined the reasons behind his decision — a blend of loyalty, belief in the team’s direction under Frédéric Vasseur, and a conviction that Ferrari’s long‑term project can return him to the front of the championship fight.

Asked why he wanted to extend with Ferrari and why now, Leclerc said the decision was driven by emotion and trust as much as performance.

“I mean, why now? It’s not that I had a timeline in my head. But why? I mean, it was very clear. I mean, 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 to get to where I am today, and I believe in the project most of all.”

Central to that belief is team principal Frédéric Vasseur, whose leadership Leclerc repeatedly highlighted: “I think with Fred we have a very good relationship, and I strongly believe that he is the person that will be able to bring Ferrari back to the top.”

Leclerc pointed to the innovation visible on the 2026 car and the clarity of Ferrari’s development roadmap: “It’s been a good start to the season, obviously not as good as what we would want, because we want to target the World Championship, but there’s been a lot of innovation on the car.

"I mean, 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 to get back to where we want to be.”

Summing up his motivation, he added: “It’s because I love this team and because I believe in the project, and for these two reasons, yeah, that’s why we continue together.”

When asked more broadly what gives him confidence in Ferrari’s long‑term vision, Leclerc again pointed to Vasseur’s leadership: “Mostly Fred. I mean, I’m very on board with his vision and, yeah, I really believe in Fred. Obviously, it’s the first car that he projected together with the team. Obviously, we are seeing lots of innovation on our car and we have a long-term vision.”

He stressed that Ferrari’s ambitions are not abstract or distant: “I mean, not too long, because obviously we all want to win as quickly as possible, but, yeah, as soon as possible to be back on top.

"I’m on board with this vision and I believe in this vision, so, yeah, that’s what makes me believe about this project more than ever.”

Leclerc was asked whether his new deal includes performance‑related conditions or timelines for achieving his goal of becoming World Champion. While he declined to reveal specifics, he acknowledged that such topics naturally form part of negotiations.

“My love for the team is very big, but, of course, as you said, winning is important for every driver and it’s what we race for. But winning in red for me has got a very unique feeling and something that I’ve dedicated all the years so far in Formula 1 to try and achieve.”

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

Leclerc dismissed the idea that this renewal locks in his entire career path, but made clear that Ferrari remains the only place he wants to be right now:

“I’m still very young. I mean, I’m 28, so I have many years ahead of me. But as I’ve said, 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 I love, that believed in me, that gave me the chance to be where I am today.”

He added that the distant future remains open: “And then for the future we’ll see. Obviously, I don’t know what will life look like in five or six or seven or 10 years’ time, but it’s not the moment either to think about it.”

Looking ahead, Leclerc was cautious about predicting whether Ferrari can mount a title challenge this season: “I think it’s very difficult to predict because things can change and swing one way or the other very quickly, especially so early on with those regulations. So, it’s probably too early to say.”

But he emphasised the intensity of the team’s effort: “I see a lot of motivation and everybody’s pushing extremely hard back at the factory to try and make sure that we come back closer to Mercedes. So that’s a goal, then we’ll see whether we achieve it or not.”

Asked whether he agrees with those calling him the favourite for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc pushed back: “No. I think we are in a better place. I mean, if there’s one track I would bet on us, it’s probably Monaco.”

But he warned that Mercedes still hold a clear advantage: “However, I still believe that Mercedes have had a significant advantage since the beginning of the year, so I think they will be very strong. I think McLaren will be very strong as well. I think Red Bull will be very strong.”

Ferrari’s straight‑line weakness should be less of a handicap here, he noted: “But it’s true that on the other tracks so far, we’ve been struggling quite a bit on the straights, which should be less of a problem.

"We have a strong package chassis-wise and aero-wise, so I think it could help us. But Mercedes, I think, will still remain the team to beat," Leclerc concluded.