![Charles Leclerc F1 Ferrari](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/07/000_33Q96RH.jpg)
File – Charles Leclerc, Monaco driver of Ferrari. (Photo by John This/AFP)
Charles Leclerc committed his future to Ferrari on Thursday after signing a new contract with the Italian F1 team.
Ferrari did not specify the length of Leclerc's new contract, saying only that it would take place „after the 2024 season“ when his current contract expires.
However, the Scuderia said in a statement in Italy that Leclerc, who finished fifth last season, well behind world champion Max Verstappen, will remain for „the coming season“.
„I am very happy to know that I will be wearing the Scuderia Ferrari race suit for the next few seasons. Racing for this team has been my dream since I was three years old,“ Leclerc said in a statement.
„My dream is to win a world championship with Ferrari. I am sure that in the coming years we will have great times together and make our fans happy.“
Leclerc, 26, has been driving for Ferrari's F1 team since 2019, a year after making his debut in the premier racing championship with Sauber.
The Monaco native spent three years in the Ferrari Driver Academy before winning the F2 championship in 2017.
the dream continues @Charles Leclerc ❤️
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) January 25, 2024
Since joining the Scuderia, Leclerc has won five Grands Prix, finished on the podium 30 times and taken pole position 23 times.
However, he was unable to mount a proper challenge for the world title as Verstappen and Red Bull wrested supremacy of the sport from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
The closest Leclerc came to winning the drivers' championship was in 2022, when he finished second behind Verstappen.
He finished that season 146 points behind, but the gap was even bigger last season, with a whopping 369 points separating Leclerc and the Dutchman.
„Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for eight years, going back to the days before the Prancing Horse emblem was first worn on a race suit,“ said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.
“We are determined to give Charles a winning car and I know his determination and dedication will be the difference-making factor in achieving our goals.”
Next year's F1 season will begin in Bahrain on March 2nd, after three days of testing on an island in the Gulf of Mexico in February.
All 10 teams participating in the 75th championship use the same combination of drivers as last season, with most of their contracts expiring at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Ferrari is scheduled to unveil on February 13 the 2024 car driven by Leclerc and his partner Carlos Sainz, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
Ferrari has yet to announce a contract extension for Sainz, who does not have the long-term stability of Leclerc.