(Motorsport-Total.com) – On Wednesday morning, Ferrari announced that they had agreed on a “multi-year” contract extension with long-time Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc. This will extend his time with Ferrari in Formula 1 by presumably at least three more seasons beyond 2026.
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Since Leclerc’s previous contract was already running until the end of 2027: Has the Monegasque taken a risk, or is his declaration of loyalty to Maranello a step that should be applauded? Our authors share their thoughts.
Everything done right!
Norman Fischer
Let’s be honest: There are worse things than driving for Ferrari and having your future secured long-term, right? Of course, jokes are often made about how Ferrari will mess up its development or strategy again, but essentially, that’s also high-level criticism.
The highest demands have always been placed on Ferrari because the Scuderia is still the team that stands for Formula 1 and has created numerous heroic moments and successes.
Sure, the last title is quite a while in the past – 18 years, to be precise – but on the other hand, Ferrari has almost always been in the top fight during all those years and rarely had truly bad years.
To illustrate this with numbers: In this millennium, the Scuderia only four times did not finish in the top 3 of the overall standings, and only once was it worse than fourth place.
The prospect of consistently competing at the front in Formula 1 is one that Charles Leclerc can savor. Of course, the world championship title is the ultimate goal and cannot be guaranteed, especially at Ferrari, but the chances are there, and Leclerc has the opportunity to become synonymous with THE Formula 1 team, as he will have spent a full decade in Italy by the end of 2028.
Together with the salary he will receive there, the decision is actually a no-brainer for me.
Charles Leclerc only gets five wins from 27 poles
Especially since a move to another team would also not guarantee a world championship title. Mercedes will at most put Max Verstappen alongside championship leader Kimi Antonelli and would not swap George Russell for Leclerc without good reason. And at Red Bull, I can’t imagine him at all (especially since that would currently be a downgrade).
The only sportingly lucrative alternative – if you don’t want to make a Hail Mary like Gucci Alpine – would be McLaren. They are well-staffed and satisfied with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but perhaps a move to Ferrari would appeal to one of them. Then I could have imagined a swap with Leclerc. But that’s too much subjunctive.
Therefore: Everything done right, Charles.
Did he even have much of a choice?
Oleg Karpow
There are simply not many options for Leclerc, so the decision to stay with Ferrari seems absolutely logical. He is in arguably the second or third fastest car on the grid, and a realistic path to Mercedes or McLaren is hardly visible in the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, Ferrari remains his dream team. Had the Scuderia magically messed up the new regulations for 2026 as badly as Aston Martin and Honda, there would be significantly more reason to reconsider. For now, however, Ferrari is still a good horse to bet on. Eventually, the winless drought must end. He just has to wait.
How long? That’s the question no one can answer. But it’s worth looking at how patient – or loyal, if you will – Lando Norris was with McLaren. He joined the team during arguably the worst phase of its history and experienced firsthand the transformation into the new benchmark on the grid.
There were other possibilities; it’s no secret that Norris flirted with Red Bull more than once. But a team change always carries risks, especially when half the garage is already occupied by Max Verstappen.
Had Mercedes come knocking, Leclerc would probably have forgotten his childhood dream of winning a title with Ferrari and focused on realizing at least part of it.
Any other move would have been a bit like changing queues at the supermarket checkout because the one next to it seems to be moving faster. Most of the time, you end up watching the queue you just left reach the cashier first.
Ferrari success without Leclerc? A nightmare!
Filip Cleeren
Since Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019, three teams have built a world championship-winning car: Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren. So, no matter how you look at it: Leclerc placing his trust in Ferrari for another three or four years is definitely associated with risk.
It is absolutely within the realm of possibility that Leclerc will go down in history as another true Ferrari legend and the longest-serving driver – albeit without the crowning title win at the end.
Read more Leclerc extends at Ferrari: Right decision or dead end?
But under Fred Vasseur, Ferrari has shown signs of life, innovation, and a willingness to take risks. And given the way the team has started the new regulatory cycle, it is not unlikely that the Scuderia will be competing for the title at some point in the coming years.
Even if I feel that teams like McLaren and Red Bull have a better track record when it comes to developing to the top over the course of a season.
The only clear improvement would have been Mercedes, which seemed to be off the table anyway. It is not yet foreseeable whether there will be driver changes at McLaren or Red Bull beyond 2027 – but it could certainly happen.
Therefore, it is quite a declaration of intent from Leclerc, who actually still had a contract until the end of 2027, to push all his chips into the middle before it was even his turn to decide on the pot.
Does such an early and long declaration of loyalty to Ferrari carry risks? In the nature of this sport: Yes. Just ask Fernando Alonso what it’s like to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But even if it were an unfulfilled career not to win with Ferrari, there would be a horror scenario that would be far worse: Ferrari winning the world championship and Leclerc having to watch in another team’s attire. That would be a mistake he would never forgive himself for.
Leclerc’s love and loyalty to Ferrari are admirable
Benjamin Vinel
There’s something captivating, almost romantic, about a long-standing relationship between a team and a driver. Especially when it comes to Leclerc, who was dubbed “Il Predestinato” – the predestined one or, in a broader sense, “the chosen one” – by Sky Italia commentator Carlo Vanzini at a young age.
For Leclerc, it has always been about Ferrari. He recalled watching the Monaco Grand Prix from a friend’s apartment at the Sainte-Devote corner when he was three years old, looking only for the red cars.
Meeting Michael Schumacher as a child only fueled his passion further. And the late Ferrari protégé Jules Bianchi was something of a mentor to him.
Leclerc has now been with Ferrari for more than ten years, having been admitted to the team’s Driver Academy before the 2016 season. Their shared history has been marked by success – consecutive titles in GP3 and Formula 2, 27 pole positions and eight Grand Prix victories in Formula 1 – but also by heartbreak and frustration.
There was, of course, the loss of Bianchi, but also numerous missed opportunities due to mechanical problems, strategic errors, and driver mistakes.
The results of the last 20 Ferrari debutants in Formula 1
Above all, however, Ferrari simply never seems to manage to be an absolutely reliable title contender. The team is always somehow within striking distance and picks up an odd race win, but it’s never quite enough. And while living one’s dream – in this case, driving for the Scuderia – that dream gradually loses its magical luster.
One would therefore forgive Leclerc, given his obvious talent and comprehensive abilities, if he were to think twice about his future in Maranello. One can probably bet that he sometimes wonders what life would be like elsewhere. That’s only human.
But he simply won’t act on it. Leclerc’s loyalty is to Ferrari, as the latest deal proves, which presumably ties him to the team until at least 2028.
Certainly, Ferrari will eventually figure it out and finally provide Leclerc with a car capable of competing for the world championship. But regardless, he is already writing a remarkable chapter in the history of Formula 1 – as the man who persevered with his beloved team for so long.
Something like this has never existed in this form – and perhaps never will again.
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