Ferrari sign Leclerc on new long-term contract before home F1 Monaco GP

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionWorld CupVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upSport|MotorsportsFerrari sign Leclerc on new long-term contract before home F1 Monaco GPCharles Leclerc has extended his contract with Ferrari for an undisclosed length, having joined the F1 team in 2019. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoFerrari's Charles Leclerc joined the F1 team in 2019 [Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters]By ReutersPublished On 3 Jun 20263 Jun 2026Charles Leclerc will continue to race for Ferrari after ⁠the Italian Formula One team announced a long-term contract extension before his home Monaco Grand Prix. The 28-year-old Monegasque has driven for the Maranello-based outfit in F1 since ⁠2019, winning eight races, and his last contract extension came in 2024. “I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP. It has always been so much more than just a team to me,” Leclerc said in a statement issued by Ferrari on Wednesday. Leclerc is currently third in the 2026 drivers’ championship but 56 points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who is 43 ahead of teammate and closest rival George Russell after winning the last four races. He has raced more times for Ferrari (155) than any other driver in the team’s history, other than now-retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, and also ranks ‌second for pole positions behind the German. Ferrari did not specify the duration of his new contract, saying only that Leclerc would continue for the “coming seasons” in the championship. “Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us,” team principal Fred Vasseur said. “Over these seasons, we have seen him grow to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula One, but also a person who is completely at one with ⁠the team and everything Ferrari represents. “We know how much this project means to ⁠him and we are happy to continue working towards our shared goals.” Leclerc joined the Ferrari Academy in 2016, won the Formula Two title in 2017 and made his F1 debut with Ferrari-powered Sauber (now Audi) in 2018. Leclerc’s teammate is the UK’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who ⁠joined from Mercedes last year on a multi-year contract and is expected to continue next season, when he will be 41 years old. Hamilton is fourth in the ⁠standings, three points behind Leclerc. Ferrari have not taken a Grand Prix ⁠victory since 2024, or a championship since 2008, but Hamilton won a Saturday sprint race in China last season and finished second in Canada last month. Leclerc has had two podium finishes this season – third in Australia and Japan – and will be heavily fancied for his ‌home race this weekend, with Ferrari expected to be competitive at the slowest circuit on the calendar, where top speed is less of a factor and grid position is crucial. Growing up in the principality, Leclerc in 2024 ‌became ‌the first local to win the Monaco Grand Prix in the championship era and has taken pole there three times in the last five years. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: