Charles Leclerc signs new Ferrari contract for 'several more seasons to come'
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Leclerc finished fifth in the drivers' championship last season
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he is "pleased" to have extended his contract with the team for "several more seasons to come".
The 26-year-old made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber before signing a five-year contract after an impressive first season with the team in 2019.
Monegasque Leclerc finished fifth in the drivers' championship last season.
"To race for this team has been my dream since I was three years old," he said., external
"I used to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the window of a friend's apartment at Saint 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."
Ferrari have not specified the length of Leclerc's new contract. His previous one ran until the end of 2024 and the new one is said to be for a further five years, running until 2029.
His salary has been reported to be set to rise from his current 25m euros (£21.3m) a year to 50m euros (£42.6m) by the end of the contract.
Leclerc has had five race wins and 23 pole positions with the Italian team. His most successful season was 2022, when he came second in the drivers' championship and won three grands prix.
"His values and those of our team are intertwined and so it was natural for us to be in agreement on extending our collaboration," said team principal Fred Vasseur.
"We know him for his incessant desire to push himself to the limit and we appreciate his extraordinary abilities when it comes to fighting and overtaking in a race.
"We are determined to give Charles a winning car and I know that his determination and commitment are elements that can make the difference in helping us reach our goals."
Analysis
Chief F1 writer Andrew Benson
Leclerc's decision to sign a new Ferrari contract is no surprise - he said himself many times last year, including in a BBC Sport interview, that he was committed to a future with the team that has nurtured him for many years.
Nor is it out of necessity. Leclerc is one of the biggest stars in F1 - many believe he might even be the fastest driver of all over a qualifying lap - and he was of interest to a number of teams.
Leclerc has signed to stay at Ferrari in a deal that is likely to keep him at the team past his 30th birthday because he believes they are on the path to success.
Not everyone, though, shares his faith.
Ferrari last won a drivers' title in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen. The closest they have come in the past decade and a half was when Fernando Alonso narrowly lost out to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in 2010 and 2012, but that was a genius driver out-performing cars that lacked absolute competitiveness.
And the last time Ferrari had a car that could have won the title - when they were competitive with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2017 and 2018 - both the team and Vettel, who replaced Alonso for 2015, dropped the ball too many times.
Leclerc looked like he had a chance himself in 2022, but a bright start to the season imploded in a series of reliability and operational-management failures as Ferrari's car, initially competitive, slid further and further from the Red Bull pace.
That cost then team principal Mattia Binotto his job, and his replacement Frederic Vasseur inherited last year an uncompetitive car with vicious handling that the drivers found hard to deal with.
But there was conspicuous progress through 2023 as Ferrari first calmed the car's behaviour and then improved its pace, to the extent that in qualifying at least it was pretty much a match for dominant Red Bull in Leclerc's hands in the final third of last season. Three poles in the last five races were testament to that.
Leclerc has taken that as a sign that Ferrari are on the right track.
He combines electrifying pace and supernatural car control with a growing on-track maturity, as well as a humble, self-critical nature.
There have been a handful of crashes over the years, but his skewed pole-to-win ratio - 23 poles to five wins - is a reflection of a driver who has the skill to pull speed out of a car few others could, and put it on the grid in a position that belies its true competitiveness. Over a race distance, inevitably, it falls back to its natural position. Ferrari's propensity to make strategic errors has not helped, either.
Leclerc is more than good enough to win the title in a decent car. He has put his faith in Ferrari, for a healthy stipend. Now it is up to the team to justify it.
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