Formula 1: Charles Leclerc signs contract extension with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc will be a Ferrari driver for the foreseeable future.

The team announced early Wednesday that Leclerc had signed a contract extension “for the coming seasons” in Formula 1. The announcement comes days before Leclerc’s home Monaco Grand Prix.

“I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP,” Leclerc said in a statement. “It has always been so much more than just a team to me. It’s the team I’ve loved and dreamt of being part of since I was a child, and after all these years, it has become a second family. Together we’ve shared incredible moments and some tougher ones, but I believe in this team more than ever, and I’m deeply grateful that we will keep pushing side by side toward our shared goal of bringing the World Championship back to Maranello.”

Leclerc is currently third in the points standings and the best of the rest of anyone who doesn’t drive for Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli leads the points standings by a staggering 43 points already over teammate George Russell, while Leclerc has 75 points and his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton has 72.

Antonelli has won four straight races heading into Monaco after Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Leclerc is in his ninth full season in F1 and his seventh with Ferrari after taking over for Kimi Raikkonen ahead of 2018. Leclerc has won eight races across his time with Ferrari, but those wins have come over just three seasons as Ferrari has struggled to be a reliable contender during his time with the team. After he won three races in 2024, Leclerc went winless in 2025 along with Hamilton as Ferrari struggled for a consistent car in the final year of the previous car regulations.

Things are far better this year, even if Mercedes has a massive lead on the rest of the field. Ferrari has been reliable and has a car that’s been competitive despite not having the same top speed that Mercedes has. Both Leclerc and Hamilton have two podium finishes across the first five races of the season.