Leclerc Signs New Multi-Year Renewal With Ferrari

BERLIN, June 3 (Bernama-dpa) -- Charles Leclerc has signed a new multi-year agreement with Ferrari, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing the Formula 1 team on Wednesday.

The announcement comes ahead of Leclerc's home Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. He will keep racing for the Italian team for "the coming seasons," Ferrari said in a statement, without disclosing any further details.

The Scuderia's line-up also includes seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

"I couldn't be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP," Leclerc said. 

"It has always been so much more than just a team to me. It's the team I've loved and dreamt of being part of since I was a child, and after all these years it has become a second family."

The Monegasque joined the Ferrari driver academy back in 2016. He stepped up to F1 in 2018 with Sauber (now Audi) before becoming a Ferrari driver in 2019.

After winning the Italian GP at Monza in 2019, Ferrari fans nicknamed him  "Il Predestinato" (the predestined). He is second on the leaderboard for most appearances with the team, behind F1 great Michael Schumacher.

Leclerc has won eight grands prix and was second in the world championship in 2022. The last Ferrari world champion was Kimi Raikkönen in 2007.

"Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us," Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said.

"Over these seasons we have seen him grow, to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also a person who is completely at one with the team and everything Ferrari represents."

-- BERNAMA-dpa