MONACO — Charles Leclerc staying with Ferrari for the foreseeable future doesn’t come as a complete surprise, given the Monégasque’s longstanding loyalty to the Italian team.He’s been with the Ferrari family since joining its driver academy in 2016, and while his Formula 1 chapter began with then-Alfa Romeo (and eventual Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur), Leclerc stood in the iconic Ferrari red race suit by his second F1 campaign, in 2019. He’s remained with Ferrari ever since — weathering team leadership and teammate changes, strategic and mechanical woes, and the hopes of championship-contender cars.It’s the safest bet in the drivers’ market, that Leclerc would stay with Ferrari for an undisclosed amount of time — the team’s announcement on Wednesday confirmed the extension was for “several more seasons”. But the big question is why, when he’s arguably in the prime of his career and yet to .Leclerc said during Thursday’s FIA news conference that the answer is as simple as it looks to the outside world: “I love the team.”“It’s been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with Ferrari as a whole,” the 28-year-old continued. “They’ve been one of the first people to believe in me and to help me to get to where I am today, and I believe in the project most of all. I think with Fred we have a very good relationship, and I strongly believe that he is the person that will be able to bring Ferrari back to the top.”Leclerc joined Ferrari ahead of the 2019 season. (William West / AFP via Getty Images)Leclerc acknowledged that while Ferrari has had a decent start to the season, it’s not where it wants to be. Mercedes nailed its engine design and dominated the early part of the season, sweeping the first five races. Ferrari, though, has secured a podium finish in four out of five races, with Miami being the outlier where it brought 11 upgrades – the most across the grid.“It’s been a good start to the season, obviously not as good as what we would want, because we want to target the world championship, but there’s been a lot of innovation on the car,” he said. “We know where we are lacking and that’s probably more the engine side. We’ve got a plan coming up and hopefully it will help us to get back to where we want to be.”It begs the question as to why Leclerc believes in the project, considering the team’s struggles in recent years. It hasn’t won a constructors’ championship since 2008 or a drivers’ championship since Kimi Räikkönen the year prior. After all, even Leclerc acknowledged that drivers race to win.Leclerc’s answer was Vasseur and how he’s on board with the team principal’s vision.“Obviously, it’s the first car that he projected together with the team,” Leclerc said. “Obviously, we are seeing lots of innovation on our car and we have a long-term vision. I mean, not too long, because obviously we all want to win as quickly as possible, but as soon as possible to be back on top. I’m on board with this vision, and I believe in this vision.”Leclerc did confirm that he had other options on the table before he signed the extension but would not name which teams. He added, “They can say it if they want, but for me Ferrari was always the choice.”Love and trust may be the main reasons why Leclerc has committed to another multi-year contract with Ferrari, but at 28, he wouldn’t commit to saying he’d end his career in red when asked in the news conference.“At the moment, this is what feels right for me and this is where I want to put all my focus, in trying to win with the team I love, that believed in me, that gave me the chance to be where I am today,” he said. “And that’s what felt right for me. And then for the future we’ll see.“I don’t know what life will look like in five or six or seven or 10 years’ time, but it’s not the moment either to think about it.”As far as the other half of the Ferrari driver duo, Lewis Hamilton, 41, appeared to indicate during the Canadian GP weekend that he’s under contract at least through 2027. He was asked in Monaco that, in light of Leclerc’s extension, does he now need to start discussing his next contract. He indicated that it was “not even a thought” and that he’s “got a lot of time left.”Jun 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms