Charles Leclerc has agreed a long-term deal to stay with Ferrari beyond 2028 as he heads into his home Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. The 28-year-old says the team feels like a second family, with Lewis Hamilton—41—still in the middle of a contract decision a
Charles Leclerc is walking into Monaco with something he can finally treat as settled: a new long-term agreement to stay with Ferrari beyond 2028.
The 28-year-old. set to race on home soil this weekend. arrives with a renewed sense of purpose and a familiar target in mind—keeping the Scuderia’s momentum moving forward even as Lewis Hamilton’s future remains tied to a final stretch of his own contract. Hamilton. 41. has one more year left. and last month he vowed to see out the deal. though he also made it clear it depends on whether Ferrari wants him to do so.
Right now, the championship picture adds extra pressure to the weekend. Leclerc sits third in the drivers’ standings after five rounds. just ahead of Hamilton. who has enjoyed a resurgence this year. The gap isn’t just about points—it’s about who looks most comfortable when the calendar turns to the races that feel like stages for bold claims.
Leclerc’s path to this moment stretches back years. He joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016. won the Formula Two title in 2017. and made his Formula One debut with Sauber before moving to the Ferrari seat in 2019. In red, he has gone on to make his first of 155 starts at the Australian Grand Prix.
In his own message about the deal, Leclerc didn’t talk like a man focused only on paperwork. “It has always been so much more than just a team to me,” he said. “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.”
He added that the bond has been tested by both the bright and the difficult moments. “Together we’ve shared incredible moments and some tougher ones. ” Leclerc said. “but I believe in this team more than ever. and I’m deeply grateful that we will keep pushing side by side toward our shared goal of bringing the World Championship back to Maranello.”.
Leclerc also framed his commitment as a duty, not just a privilege. “Being a Ferrari driver is a dream, but it’s also a responsibility I never take for granted.”
With the home Grand Prix on the horizon. he underlined what the contract means to him and why the stakes feel so personal. “I’ll continue to give absolutely everything I have to bring this team back to where it belongs. at the very top. for everyone in Maranello. and above all for the tifosi. whose passion is the heartbeat of this Scuderia.”.
The timing is striking for one more reason: Leclerc’s agreement lands as attention grows on how Ferrari handles the end of Hamilton’s current chapter. Hamilton has one more year left, but his vow to stay is conditional on Ferrari wanting him to continue. Leclerc’s position—already third after five rounds and ahead of his team-mate in the standings—turns this Monaco weekend into a real test of authority within the same garage.
The story, for now, has two halves running in parallel: Leclerc’s long-term promise, and Hamilton’s final-year uncertainty—both set to collide on track at Leclerc’s home Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc Ferrari Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Formula One drivers championship contract extension
Cool so he’s staying til 2028, but what about Hamilton like is he getting traded or something?
Monaco is always messy anyway. If Ferrari keeps Leclerc then that means Hamilton must be gone, right? Or they wouldn’t be talking about his contract…
Wait I thought Hamilton already signed like months ago. This article says he has one more year left but also “depends if Ferrari wants him” so… does that mean Ferrari can just reject him last second? Kinda sounds like that.
I don’t even get why Monaco matters if he already agreed. Like the article keeps going on about pressure and standings but they’re still gonna drive in circles and crash anyway. Also “second family” is a weird phrase for a race team lol.