Charles Leclerc is going to do everything in his power during his next contract with Ferrari to secure them a title, something he has outlined as his career "goal".
Ferrari have not won a title since 2008 courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, whilst Raikkonen's 2007 crown is their last Drivers' Championship.
Since breaking onto the F1 scene in 2018, Leclerc has been viewed as the driver most likely to end Ferrari's drought, although as of yet, he has not come close.
Ferrari were largely uncompetitive when Leclerc initially moved from Alfa Romeo to Ferrari, before being Max Verstappen's only title rival in 2022. However, driver errors and poor strategies were the duo's downfall.
2026 is widely viewed as Leclerc's best bet at securing a championship for the historic side, given that the pecking order will likely reset following the introduction of the new power unit regulations.
Leclerc's new multi-year deal – confirmed during the off-season – does cover 2026 and reportedly several years after, with the exact length of the contract being unknown. Italian media have stated that Leclerc will remain in red until the end of 2029, although Ferrari have not confirmed this.
Of course, the Monegasque will have Lewis Hamilton alongside him in at least 2025 and 2026, putting another hurdle in Leclerc's way. Whilst the driver pairing of Leclerc and Hamilton will increase Ferrari's chances in the Constructors' Championship, it will arguably decrease the 26-year-old's likelihood of becoming a World Champion.
Regardless of the impact of being partnered by Hamilton from next year, Leclerc is determined to secure a title for the Scuderia.
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Ferrari title is career 'goal'
"I mean, obviously the contract is for many years, so I cannot go into details for that," Leclerc told select media including RacingNews365. But obviously the goal of this new contract is to have a title together.
"But again, it all depends on the situation I find myself in after this contract. I love Ferrari very much and my goal of my career is to win a title with Ferrari and I'll do absolutely everything in order to win the title with Ferrari.
"And then for the future, I've just signed my new contract so I don't want to be speaking about that now."
As for his immediate chances of winning a title, 2024 is not seen as his best opportunity. Red Bull are widely viewed as still being the superior outfit, yet Leclerc wants victories at the very least and more than simply two or three.
"No, no, no, it's, it's not enough," added Leclerc, when asked if two or three wins is acceptable. "I mean, I want to win as many races as possible, then we'll do the counter at the end of the year, and to also understand where we will be at after the first race to understand how competitive we are.
"But yeah, it's very difficult now to also draw a picture of where we will stand after the first race, it will depend on that as well. But two or three victories is not my target, I want to win as many races as possible."
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