Charles Leclerc’s New Contract Raises Eyebrows And Questions

Prominent Italian media outlets are expressing uncertainty regarding the duration of Charles Leclerc’s recently unveiled contract extension with Ferrari.

The official announcement revealed that the esteemed 26-year-old driver will remain with the team past the 2024 season. Leclerc himself was quoted, indicating that he intends to continue racing in Ferrari red “for several more seasons to come.”

Nonetheless, Leo Turrini, a journalist with close ties to Ferrari, has noted that the vague details surrounding the length of Leclerc’s contract are not typical.

“Never, at least in recent history, has a multi-year extension of a (Ferrari) contract been announced without an indication of expiry,” he said on Quotidiano Motori. “Never.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport thinks Leclerc has signed through 2029 – so another five-year deal.

But the newspaper added that the deal probably has “exit clauses linked to performance after the third year”. And with each passing year, Leclerc’s earnings will then rise from the current EUR 25m per year to “around double” if he gets to 2029.

Corriere dello Sport, on the other hand, thinks Leclerc’s contract is actually for four years.

Turrini explained: “Logically, the duration of the agreement is subject to conditions. Certainly he will race in 2025 and 2026, because it would be crazy to prolong the deal and ignore the first season (2026) of the new rules.

“After that, it presumably won’t depend either on him or even on (Frederic) Vasseur. But on results.

“In short, the renewal is good news. But there is no certainty about the future.”