Juan Pablo Montoya believes Lewis Hamilton has the chance to put pressure on Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc at the Monaco GP

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 .

Speaking at the Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc pointed to his boss as a reason he wanted to stay in Ferrari red

Leclerc’s existing arrangement means that the latest extension will likely keep him at Ferrari beyond 2030. This would represent the current longest driver contract on the F1 grid. It is also highly likely, although not confirmed, that Leclerc’s new deal will include performance-related exit clauses.

Charles Leclerc has signed a Formula One contract extension with Ferrari, keeping him at the team for “several more seasons”. The 28-year-old has won eight Grands Prix across nine seasons for Ferrari, having initially joined the joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016. He had last renewed his deal in 2024.

Charles Leclerc has said he signed a new Ferrari contract because he is convinced team boss Fred Vasseur is the man to bring championship glory back to Maranello.

A new contract. Leclerc and Ferrari confirmed a new multi-year deal, that will see the 28-year-old driver continue to race in red for “the coming seasons of the Formula 1 World Championship.” The driver referred to Ferrari as “much more than just a team” in a statement.

Both drivers cited clashing commitments but this was still considered a serious enough breach of the rules to warrant punishment