ANALYSIS: Why Leclerc is extending his stay with Ferrari

"It means family and maybe that is exactly what makes this bond so special. For me, it's always been clear. The dream is still alive. And I'm proud to be chasing it together."

Those were the words of Charles Leclerc as he confirmed he would be extending his stay at Ferrari, Formula 1's most famous team and the squad with which he has become synonymous.

You could hear the emotion in his voice when he uttered those words. Ferrari means more to him than just a company he works for. It's the racing family with which he wants to taste World Championship success in F1.

He and Ferrari will have hoped that success would have come by now. He joined the team's junior academy in 2016, stepped up to the factory F1 team in 2019 after a season with Ferrari's customer Sauber, and has since emerged as one of the strongest drivers on the grid.

The 28-year-old has scored eight wins and taken 52 podiums for the Scuderia across just over seven seasons and is the team's second most capped driver in F1 history behind legend and seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher.

But the title he and Ferrari crave – the Scuderia last won the Drivers' Championship in 2007 and the Team's Championship in 2008 – still eludes them and while they have started this season stronger than the last, they still trail pace-setters Mercedes.

That hasn't stopped Leclerc committing the future to Ferrari, though. The team didn't reveal the length of the deal, but sources say the Monegasque's previous contract ran until at least the end of 2027 with options and this new deal takes him beyond the end of 2028.

That will keep him at the team into his 30s and for at least a decade – and it's likely there are mechanisms within the deal to extend his stay beyond that if both sides agree.

Like all drivers and their managers, Leclerc and his team will have assessed their options elsewhere in the field – but with Mercedes and McLaren likely to be locked up and Aston Martin failing to make the step everyone anticipated, nothing else was appealing.

Leclerc also knows Ferrari inside out – and there's a lot to be said for that.

He also has complete faith in boss Fred Vasseur, who he knows so well. Leclerc raced for him in junior formulae at ART, made his debut under Vasseur at Sauber – and has been led by him since Vasseur joined in 2023.

Leclerc is also known to have a superb relationship with the team's senior management, including President John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna.

Not all of his rivals can talk about having those kinds of close-knit connections.

The 28-year-old is also loved by the team's fanbase the Tifosi – and by those who dedicate their lives to working for F1's most famous team at Maranello and trackside. He's like an idol.

His commitment will only serve to solidify his legend within the team – and drive the team forward even more to try and give him the machinery with which to end their almost two decade-long wait for championship glory.

It's clearly important to Leclerc that, if he wins a world title, ideally it's with Ferrari. That's why he's sometimes so tough on the team over the radio or in post-race interviews. He just wants it so bad, not just for himself but for every single member of the team.

So even though he still had at least 18 months to go on his previous deal – and despite Ferrari having yet to win a race in 2026 – Leclerc has put pen to paper, on a fresh deal.

Ferrari will be delighted to have nailed down a driver they have so heavily invested in, not least because they know he is sought-after.

Leclerc is quick and one of the best qualifiers the sport has ever seen. He is also the kind of leader that can galvanize a team – and his quality is such, he could be competing at the highest level for at least another decade.

It also gives them stability for the foreseeable future on one side of the garage – and they are in pretty good shape on the other with Lewis Hamilton contracted to the team until at least the end of 2027 and the Briton saying recently that he has no intention of stopping any time soon.

With the driver side of things well set for now, Ferrari can focus their full attention on the car and power unit as they bid to catch and overhaul Mercedes to bring some silverware back to Maranello.