Charles Leclerc has shed more light on his F1 contract extension with Ferrari, the rationale behind his decision, the positive influence of Fred Vasseur, and his expectations for his home race heading into the 2026 Monaco GP weekend.
On June 3, Ferrari announced a new multi-year deal with Leclerc that will see him race in the iconic Rosso Corsa colour for “the coming seasons”.
While the exact end date hasn’t been disclosed, the Monégasque appears to have signed F1’s current longest driver contract, and his partnership with the Scuderia will potentially continue into the 2030s.
Having originally joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016, Leclerc found himself partnering with Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari three years later. Now, he is second on the leaderboard for most Grand Prix appearances with the team, behind only the mighty Michael Schumacher.
The 28-year-old’s choice to commit to Maranello for the foreseeable future, however, has been met with surprise since he had issued caution last year that it was “now or never” for Ferrari to fight for championships under the brand-new regulations in 2026.
In light of Ferrari commencing a new campaign on the back foot yet again and his maiden F1 title still elusive, many had expected Leclerc to explore other options. Therefore, him entrusting his long-term future to the Italian marque has to be a testament to his belief that they will eventually deliver a title-contending car, right?
Leclerc reaffirms his love for Ferrari and belief in Vasseur
Speaking in a pre-race press conference ahead of the 2026 Monaco GP, Charles Leclerc opened up about why he had agreed to extend his stay with Ferrari and the timing of the new deal.
The eight-time F1 race winner clarified that he didn’t have a specific deadline to put pen to paper on a contract extension. At the same time, he professed his love for the team and expressed his gratitude for how they had taken a chance on him back in 2016 and have helped him grow into the driver he is today.
Proclaiming that he still believes in the current project, Leclerc also underlined the strong bond he shares with Team Principal Vasseur and reaffirmed his belief in the Frenchman’s leadership to bring championship glory back to Maranello.
“I mean, why now? It’s not that I had a timeline in my head. Why are you looking at me like that?
“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. I think with Fred [Vasseur], 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.”
Leclerc explains his choice to stay with Ferrari ahead of 2026 Monaco GP
Although he acknowledged their somewhat underwhelming start to the 2026 F1 season and the power deficit that’s holding them back, Charles Leclerc was nonetheless effusive in the lead-up to the Monaco GP about how innovative the team has been with the SF-26’s development so far.
Furthermore, the Monte Carlo native explained that Ferrari have got a development package in the pipeline that would potentially enable them to go toe-to-toe with Mercedes.
In the end, Leclerc reiterated that his love for Ferrari and his confidence in the project had influenced him to sign the multi-year contract extension.
“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.
“But why? 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.”
Whether Leclerc and Ferrari can still contend for the titles in 2026
Asked if he still thinks he can challenge for the F1 World Championship in 2026, with 16 more races to go following this weekend’s Monaco GP, Charles Leclerc responded that it’s too early to make a prediction given that the current regulation cycle is still at its nascent stage.
Nevertheless, the Ferrari driver emphasised how motivated the entire team is and that their objective is to claw back the deficit to Mercedes as soon as possible.
“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 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.”
Leclerc believes Mercedes are still the favourites for victory at the 2026 Monaco GP
In reference to Lando Norris claiming that Charles Leclerc will emerge victorious at the 2026 Monaco GP, the Ferrari F1 driver held a different opinion.
While he admitted that the characteristics of the 3.337 km street circuit would suit the SF-26 better than the previous five tracks on the calendar, the 28-year-old stated that he still expects Mercedes to have the edge over the rest of the field.
Adding that he anticipates McLaren and Red Bull to also be in contention, Leclerc elaborated on how their strong chassis and the lack of any Straight Mode zones could allow the SF-26 to fare better around the narrow and bumpy streets of the Principality.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
What convinced Leclerc despite Ferrari’s inability to deliver so far
With regard to Ferrari’s failure to produce race-winning cars in multiple F1 seasons since 2019 and what assurances the team has given him in 2026 to warrant such a long-term commitment, Charles Leclerc singled out Vasseur as the primary figure who had convinced him to extend the contract before taking to the track at his home GP in Monaco.
Mentioning once again how confident he is about the project the current Ferrari Team Principal has built from the ground up with a large group of innovative individuals at Maranello, the Monégasque insisted that he has faith in their ultimate vision to get back to winning ways.
“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. 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.”
Whether the new deal has specific clauses regarding title-contending machinery
Asked if his desire to win a title supersedes his love for Ferrari and whether he has been able to add certain clauses to the new contract that would require the team to deliver a championship-worthy car within a stipulated timeframe, Charles Leclerc admitted that the aspiration to claim the Drivers’ crown fuels every racer on the grid.
Even though he refused to discuss the specifics of his fresh deal in Thursday’s pre-Monaco GP press conference, Leclerc implied that the timeline for achieving his goal of winning the F1 World Championship was a matter of consideration. However, underlining how he has already dedicated years of his career to try and bring Ferrari back to the top, the eight-time race winner made it abundantly clear that winning in red holds special significance for him.
“My love for the team is very, 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. We didn’t manage to achieve that yet, at least on a full season.
“I cannot go too much into the detail of the contract. So, I cannot comment unfortunately on the main question, but surely it’s part of those discussions.”
In terms of whether there were other options on the table before he had finalised the multi-year contract with Ferrari, Leclerc confirmed, “There were, yes.”
Urged to disclose which teams were holding talks with him, the 28-year-old said, “No, I’m not going to say who. But they can say it if they want, but for me Ferrari was always the choice.”
Leclerc addresses before the 2026 Monaco GP whether he would end his F1 career at Ferrari
With respect to his unwavering loyalty to the Italian team and whether he would hang up his helmet while donning Ferrari overalls, Charles Leclerc remarked that he is still too young to contemplate retirement.
Moreover, the 27-time polesitter stated that his decision to fully concentrate his efforts on trying to win with Ferrari feels right for him at the moment. He touched on the sentimental bond he shares with the Maranello-based squad once more and declared that he seeks to reciprocate their belief and investment in him throughout these years by staying and helping this historic outfit return to its former glory.
Commenting that he is unsure about what the future holds, Leclerc, who is looking to secure his first GP victory of the 2026 F1 campaign at Monaco this weekend, conveyed that he is not inclined to ponder right now the possibilities of where he might end up in a few years’ time.
“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. And that’s what felt right for me.
“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 ten years’ time, but it’s not the moment either to think about it.”
