Ferrari announce new multi-year deal with Leclerc ahead of Monaco GP

Ferrari have announced a new multi-year agreement with Charles Leclerc that will see the Monegasque race in red for "the coming seasons".

Leclerc joined the Scuderia for the 2019 campaign after stepping up to F1 in 2018 with Sauber, which followed Formula 2 title success in 2017.

Over his years with Ferrari, Leclerc has given the tifosi plenty to celebrate – including famous Monza victories in 2019 and 2024 as well as an emotional home win in Monaco in 2024 – and he is second on the leaderboard for most appearances with the team, behind Michael Schumacher.

The new deal marks the latest chapter in a decade-long relationship between the team and Leclerc, with the 28-year-old joining the driver academy back in 2016, and also emphasises the faith the Monegasque has in one day bringing a World Championship back to Maranello in the near future.

"I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP," said Leclerc. "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.

"Being a Ferrari driver is a dream, but it’s also a responsibility I never take for granted. I’ll continue to give absolutely everything I have to bring this team back to where it belongs, at the very top, for everyone in Maranello, and above all for the tifosi, whose passion is the heartbeat of this Scuderia."

Ferrari Team Principal, Fred Vasseur, added: "Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us.

"Over these seasons we have seen him grow, to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also a person who is completely at one with the team and everything Ferrari represents. We appreciate his talent, we love his determination and the way he approaches every day with the people in the Scuderia, both on and off the track.

"We know how much this project means to him and we are happy to continue working towards our shared goals."

The confirmation of Leclerc's new deal comes ahead of the 28-year-old's home race this weekend in Monaco, with Ferrari expected to perform strongly despite Mercedes taking victory in every Grand Prix so far this year.

Ferrari have performed well in the Principality over recent years, with their car handling the low-speed bends and bumps of the street circuit, while the lack of flat-out running should play into their hands given there will be less lap time reward to the Mercedes power unit.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli also namechecked Ferrari as the "team to beat" in the Principality, with the Italian expecting Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to challenge at the sharp end.

All of that will give Ferrari and Leclerc hope that they could repeat what they did back in 2024, and that would act as the perfect antidote to the recent Canadian Grand Prix weekend, which Leclerc called the "most difficult weekend" of his career.