Charles Leclerc’s contract with Ferrari expires at the end of 2024 (Photo: Getty)
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has quashed rumours that he has signed a record-breaking, long-term contract with the Formula One team.
Leclerc’s current contract with the Scuderia runs until the end of 2024, though there has been much speculation surrounding his future after that.
Mercedes are said to be interested in his services as a possible long-term replacement for Sir Lewis Hamilton whenever the seven-time world champion decides to retire.
He is also on Red Bull’s radar as they explore their options to replace Sergio Perez for 2025, though the Monegasque is not as closely linked as the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris have been.
As a result, Ferrari are keen to tie the 25-year-old down as they believe he is one of the quickest drivers on the grid and the man who will finally end their long wait for title.
To that end, reports from France claim that Leclerc agreed a new deal that could make him the highest paid driver in F1 history.
The new contract would keep him at Maranello until 2026, with the option to extend to 2029, and he would be set to earn upwards of £160million in this time.
Leclerc is currently fifth in the standings (Photo: Getty)
However, Leclerc has now shared an update on his future and revealed that while his plan is to stay at Ferrari, contract talks haven’t even begun yet.
‘The rumours that put me in other teams just means that I’m doing my job well,’ he is widely quoted as having told Corriere dello Sport.
‘But I’m indifferent about them because I know what I want. I still don’t know what Ferrari wants from me.
Leclerc’s relationship with team principal Frederic Vasseur is key to him staying at Ferrari (Photo: Getty)
‘The discussions about the contract haven’t started yet, but everything is clear to me, I love Ferrari and I want to win here. That is my priority.
‘Apart from the love for Ferrari that has always existed and continues to exist, I share many things with Fred [Vasseur, team principal], and many of them have to do with plans for the future. We are aligned.
‘I know what is coming and I have faith.’
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Since joining the Italian team in 2019, Leclerc has recorded five victories, 27 podiums and 20 fastest laps.
Three of those wins came last season as he emerged as the early championship favourite only for a series of driver errors and strategy blunders to lead to his title bid derailing, and he ended up finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen by 146 points.
With the 2023 season in its summer break, the Monegasque is fifth in the standings, a whopping 215 points off runaway leader Verstappen.
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Leclerc’s contract with Ferrari expires in 2024.
