Ferrari sign Leclerc on new long-term contract before home F1 Monaco GP | Motorsports News
Charles Leclerc Extends Ferrari Contract Ahead of Monaco Grand Prix
MONACO (AP) — Charles Leclerc will continue his tenure with Scuderia Ferrari following a contract extension announced just before the Monaco Grand Prix. The duration of the new agreement has not been disclosed.
Leclerc, 28, has been with Ferrari since 2019 and has secured a total of eight race victories during his time with the team. His previous contract extension took place in 2024.
“I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari. It has always been so much more than just a team to me,” Leclerc said in a statement released by Ferrari.
Currently, Leclerc ranks third in the 2026 Formula One drivers’ championship, trailing Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 56 points. Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, sits just 43 points behind him after a series of four consecutive victories.
With 155 race starts for Ferrari, Leclerc has raced more often for the team than all but one driver in its history, the legendary Michael Schumacher. He also holds the second position for pole positions, again behind Schumacher.
While Ferrari did not specify how long Leclerc’s new contract would last, the team indicated that he would compete for the “coming seasons.”
“Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels very natural for us,” said team principal Fred Vasseur. “Over these seasons, we have seen him grow into one of the strongest drivers in Formula One, as well as a person who embodies the team’s values.”
Leclerc joined the Ferrari Academy in 2016, won the Formula Two championship in 2017, and made his Formula One debut with Ferrari-powered Sauber in 2018. His teammate is seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who joined Ferrari on a multi-year contract last year and is anticipated to remain with the team next season at the age of 41.
Hamilton currently sits fourth in the standings, just three points behind Leclerc. Ferrari has not secured a Grand Prix victory since 2024 or a championship title since 2008. However, Hamilton won a Saturday sprint race in China last season and finished second in Canada last month.
Leclerc has earned two podium finishes this season, achieving third place in both Australia and Japan. He is among the favorites for his home race this weekend, with expectations that Ferrari will perform competitively on the Circuit de Monaco, where speed is less critical and grid position can make a significant impact.
Having grown up in Monaco, Leclerc made history in 2024 by becoming the first local driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix during the championship era. He has also clinched pole position three times at this prestigious track over the past five years.
