Charles Leclerc has admitted that he’ll only ever leave Ferrari when he “doesn’t believe in the project anymore”, as that’ll stop him from performing at his best.
Leclerc is currently set to become a free agent in 2025 when his deal expires at the end of next season, although the general expectation is that he will be offered an extension by Ferrari.
The Monegasque is very much seen as Ferrari’s golden boy and the driver most likely to claim their first championship since 2008, although that still looks a few years away.
Whilst Leclerc has enjoyed won several races for Ferrari, he’s lacked the consistency to fight for the title, something he was able to do for the first half of 2022.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
There is no doubting that he’s an extraordinary driver who the Maranello-based squad believe in deeply, so much so that they supported Leclerc through his junior career.
Even from a young age, it was almost Leclerc’s destiny to race for Ferrari, a team he is “super grateful for everything they’ve done for me”.
Leclerc loves the Italians and is “so attached” to the side, making an exit from Maranello incredibly unlikely.
“It’s always been the red car for me, since I was younger,” Leclerc explained in an interview with The Race.
“But this is not the whole reason why I am so attached to Ferrari. I am also super grateful for everything they’ve done for me.
“I’m also aware that Nicolas Todt [manager] helped me from 2011, but without Ferrari, I wouldn’t have made it to Formula 1. And they’ve always been there supporting me when I needed it.
“Ferrari is just special. Whenever you get to Ferrari, and you go around the factory and you speak to the people, you can feel something that is super special, you can understand how much passion and how much it means to them.
“When you go to the production, and you see how much it means for them to see the driver. It’s something very strong.”
There is only one condition in which Leclerc would think about leaving Ferrari and that’s if he doesn’t “believe in the project anymore”.
Given the team’s recent improvements, he seemingly believes very much in what the side are doing and that they’re “working in the right direction”.
“I view it in a way that whenever I won’t believe in the project anymore, that probably will be the time when I’ll have to go away,” Leclerc admitted.
READ: Oscar Piastri makes ‘pretty useless’ admission
“Because it’s in these kinds of situations that you don’t get the best out of yourself, that you don’t help the team as much as it needs to be helped.
“But this is definitely not the case at the moment. I believe in the project as much as I’ve ever believed in the project before. Especially since Fred arrived.
“So for now it’s clear. Then it’s also clear that I want to win. But I believe in this project and I’m sure we are working in the right direction.”