Ferrari has confirmed that it has signed a multi-year contract extension with Charles Leclerc to keep the Monegasque driver at Maranello for the foreseeable future.
Leclerc's existing deal with the Scuderia was set to expire at the end of this season, but a renewal had been long expected and had been viewed as a sure thing within the F1 paddock.
"I’m very pleased to know that I will be wearing the Scuderia Ferrari race suit for several more seasons to come," the 26-year-old said in a press statement from Ferrari released on Thursday afternoon.
"To race for this team has been my dream since I was three years old: I used to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the window of a friend’s apartment at Ste. Devote corner and I would always look out for the red cars.
"This team is my second family ever since I joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016 and we have achieved a lot together, fighting through thick and thin over the past five years," he continued.
"However, I believe the best is yet to come and I can’t wait for this season to start, to make further progress and be competitive at every race.
"My dream remains that of winning the world championship with Ferrari, and I’m sure that in the years ahead we will enjoy great times together and make our fans happy."
Leclerc was GP3 and F2 champion before making his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2018, and moved to Ferrari the following season. He took his maiden two wins for the team later that season in Belgium and Italy.
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur - who helped nature Leclerc's early career in those junior championships - was delighted to confirm that Leclerc would be staying put and continue to play a key role in the team's future endeavours.
"Charles’ bond to the Scuderia goes beyond that of just a driver and a team," he said. "He has been part of the Ferrari family for eight years now, dating back to a time before he first sported the Prancing Horse emblem on his race suit.
"His values and those of our team are intertwined and so it was natural for us to be in agreement on extending our collaboration.
"We know him for his incessant desire to push himself to the limit and we appreciate his extraordinary abilities when it comes to fighting and overtaking in a race.
"We are determined to give Charles a winning car and I know that his determination and commitment are elements that can make the difference in helping us reach our goals."
Leclerc finished last year's campaign in sixth place in the drivers championship while Ferrari itself narrowly missed out on the runners-up on the constructors standings to Mercedes.
Leclerc's team mate Carlos Sainz was the only driver not in a Red Bull to win a race all year in 2023.
Sainz himself is also out of contract at the end of the forthcoming season, but the team has hinted that an announcement about a new deal for the Spaniard is also forthcoming and just a matter of timing.
"Obviously I want to renew and I'd like to renew for more than one year, not just two," he said recently. "I feel perfectly valued by Fred and by the whole Ferrari family in general. I feel loved."
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