Charles Leclerc has signed a new contract and will remain a Ferrari driver for many more years. The Monegasque’s new contract is probably currently the longest in all of F1 and may even extend beyond the 2030 season. In my opinion, this decision needs to be interpreted differently from the perspective of the team and the driver.
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Ferrari did not provide any details regarding the length of Leclerc’s new contract; they only issued a press release that was quite long by their standards. We know that Leclerc’s previous contract with Ferrari was conditional and valid until 2029. The fact that a new one has been signed suggests it will be longer. The Race, citing its sources, wrote that the contract extends beyond the 2030 season, meaning it could be valid, for example, until 2031. Personally, I’m betting on such a term, because previous contracts Leclerc signed with Ferrari were for five consecutive seasons. If this is the case again, then it is currently the longest driver contract in all of Formula 1.
Charles Leclerc has been associated with Ferrari for ten years
Charles Leclerc has been associated with Ferrari since 2016. First, as a member of their development program, he achieved considerable success in lower racing series. He debuted in F1 in 2018 with the Alfa Romeo Sauber team thanks to Ferrari’s support, to then move to the factory team in the following season. After the end of his first season in 2019 with the Scuderia, he signed a new contract for five more years – until the end of 2024. At the beginning of 2024, he signed another contract, which was officially announced as „multi-year”. Italian media reported that it was for five more years, i.e., until the end of the 2029 season, but conditionally. Under this contract, Leclerc was to earn gradually more and more, up to almost 50 million euros in the last year. At the same time, the contract was to be subject to various options allowing it to be shortened. The most important one was to be available after the 2027 season, when Leclerc would largely have a free path to change teams.
The new contract binds Leclerc to Ferrari for longer; knowing F1 realities, it contains conditional early termination options. These will probably be available later than in the previous agreement. Leclerc will turn 29 this year.
Michael Schumacher holds the Ferrari record for the number of races and seasons driven, with 180 over 11 years respectively. Leclerc currently has 155 races over 8 seasons. If his contract is indeed for five more years, then by its end he will have approximately 300 races in Ferrari colors and 13 seasons. He will thus become a driver inextricably linked with Ferrari. Leclerc can currently boast the following successes: 8 wins, 27 Pole Positions, 52 podium finishes, 11 fastest laps. He has finished seasons on the general classification podium twice.
My comment on this agreement
Ferrari did everything right. Leclerc is a very good driver, proven in battle in recent years. Additionally, he is popular off-track, which is very important for a team like Scuderia; they must always have at least one true star in their lineup. The team extended the contract in advance, ensuring stability. However, from the driver’s perspective, I believe this is a mistake. Leclerc still had a multi-year contract and didn’t have to extend it. By signing a new one, he committed himself to this team and deprived himself of transfer options.
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For several years, I have believed that Leclerc should change teams, enter a different environment, and try to genuinely compete for the world championship. Ferrari has been at the forefront for many years, but not enough to fight for the world championship. Ferrari did not produce a good engine for the new regulations; they may need even a few years to catch up with Mercedes. This could mean that throughout the current regulations, Ferrari will be at the front, but not enough to fight for the championship. You might say that there are other drivers who have spent their entire careers with one team. That’s true. Verstappen is with Red Bull, and Norris is with McLaren. Both have won world championships with these teams and are sportingly fulfilled.
I see two possibilities here. For Leclerc, driving for Ferrari is the most important thing; he trusts this team and doesn’t want to change it. He prefers to spend his entire career at Ferrari rather than risk going to another team where he is unsure what awaits him. The second option is more prosaic. Leclerc (or rather his manager) looked around the market and found that drivers in other top teams have multi-year contracts, and there doesn’t seem to be a place for Charles anywhere. Last year, Aston Martin seemed like such an option, but that team started the current regulations so poorly that it is not an attractive option for a driver of his caliber.
Probable future of Ferrari’s F1 driver lineup
Charles Leclerc will occupy one spot in the Ferrari team for the next few years, which means stability for the squad. Currently, Lewis Hamilton drives the second car, and he recently announced that he will remain at Ferrari for the 2027 season. The Briton signed a contract with the team in 2024 for three seasons or a 2+1 format agreement, i.e., for 2025-2026 with an option for the 2027 season. This has never been specifically disclosed. His statements in recent weeks are very clear, meaning the contract will be continued. Nothing indicates otherwise, and both parties are currently satisfied with this cooperation.
Hamilton will be 42 next year, and I expect it to be his last season in F1. If that happens, Ferrari will need a new driver for 2028, and I expect it to be academy product Oliver Bearman, who by then will have gained more than enough experience with the Haas team. Therefore, in the future, I expect a Leclerc – Bearman pairing at Ferrari. Then a classic Ferrari situation might occur, where a new star starts pushing an old one out of the team. There have been several such cases in the 21st century, which I described extensively on the blog a few years ago. From Ferrari’s perspective, in my opinion, this is the most logical lineup for the future. Charles Leclerc is proven and popular enough to be the face of the entire brand. Oliver Bearman is a great talent who will prove himself in this team.
In my opinion, Ferrari will not want or be able to hire another external star to replace Hamilton. I see that some fans would like Verstappen, Piastri, or Antonelli in this team, as I often see such comments. However, to attract such drivers, you need to offer them a car capable of fighting for the world championship. Will Ferrari be in such a position next year? I don’t think so. If it turns out that Ferrari is fighting for the world championship in 2027, then in my opinion, Hamilton will want to extend his contract for another season.
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