Charles Leclerc is seventh in the standings with two races to go (Photo: Getty)
Charles Leclerc says he is determined to ‘finish the mission’ and win a championship with Ferrari, suggesting he will re-sign for the Formula One team.
The Monegasque driver’s contract with the Scuderia expires at the end of 2024 and speculation around his future has been growing all season.
There were rumours linking him with both Mercedes and Red Bull, while back in August he quashed reports claiming he’d signed a long-term deal with Ferrari worth £160million.
Sticking with his current team has always been the likely outcome, but with the Italians taking a backward step in 2023, discontent from Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz has been evident.
Last year, Ferrari started the season with the quickest car and Leclerc emerged as the early title favourite, but reliability issues, driver errors and strategy blunders saw him finish behind Max Verstappen.
This season, the 26-year-old is yet to win a race and currently seventh in the standings behind Sainz, who is likely to end up being the only non-Red Bull driver to take victory in 2023.
But ahead of the penultimate grand prix of the season in Las Vegas this weekend, the five-time race winner reiterated his commitment to Ferrari and desire to win the title with them.
No Ferrari driver has won the title since 2007 (Photo: Getty)
Asked if he thinks about what he could achieve in a better car, Leclerc told ESPN: ‘I don’t really think to that because Ferrari is so special and I wouldn’t change my position with anyone else on the grid.
‘Do I want to win world championships? Of course, this is the same for everybody, but do I want to change my place with anyone? No, I don’t.
‘I have always been dreaming of being a Formula One driver, and even more so with Ferrari. It’s been many years together and I want to finish the mission with a world championship.
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‘It’s a bit of a family feeling now, it’s been so many years I have been within the team, whether it is as an actual race driver for Ferrari or at the Ferrari Driver Academy in the years before.’
Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019 just a year after making his F1 debut, achievingfive wins and 22 pole positions.
The last driver to win the title with the Scuderia was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, though they have come close since then through Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
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His contract expires in 2024.
