{"id":713998,"date":"2026-06-04T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/713998\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T07:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:00:13","slug":"is-leclercs-leap-of-faith-with-ferrari-the-right-choice-our-writers-have-their-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/713998\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Leclerc’s leap of faith with Ferrari the right choice? Our writers have their say"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday morning, Ferrari<\/a> announced it had agreed a “multi-year” contract extension with long-time Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc<\/a>, extending his Ferrari tenure for what is thought to be at least three more seasons in Formula 1 beyond 2026.<\/p>\n

With Leclerc’s previous deal not running out until the end of 2027, has the Monegasque taken a risk or is his pledge of loyalty to Maranello something to applaud? Our writers offer their thoughts.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Did he have much choice? – Oleg\u00a0Karpov<\/p>\n

There\u2019s simply not much choice for\u00a0Leclerc, so the decision to stick with Ferrari seems entirely logical. He\u2019s in arguably the second or third-fastest car on the grid, and it\u2019s hard to see a realistic path to Mercedes<\/a> or McLaren<\/a> any time soon. Plus, Ferrari remains his dream team. Had the Scuderia miraculously got the 2026 regulations wrong in the same way Aston Martin and Honda have, there would have been a lot more to think about. Right now, Ferrari is still a good horse to back. Eventually, the win-less streak has to end. He just needs to wait.<\/p>\n

How long? That\u2019s the question nobody can answer. But it\u2019s worth looking at how patient – or loyal, if you prefer –\u00a0Lando Norris<\/a> was with McLaren. Joining the team during arguably its worst period in history, he witnessed first-hand its transformation into the benchmark of the grid. Other opportunities existed too. It\u2019s no secret Norris flirted with Red Bull more than once. But changing teams always carries risk, especially when half the garage is already occupied by Max Verstappen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Had Mercedes come calling, Leclerc would probably have forgotten about the childhood dream of winning a title with Ferrari and focused on achieving at least one part of it. Any other move would have been a bit like switching queues at the supermarket checkout because the one next to you appears to be moving faster. More often than not, you end up watching the line you left reach the cashier first.<\/p>\n

He may not fulfil his Ferrari dream, but watching it win without him would be a nightmare – Filip Cleeren<\/p>\n

Ever since\u00a0Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019, three teams have built a title winning car. Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren. So anyway you slice it, Leclerc putting his faith in Ferrari for another three or four years definitely carries a risk. It is entirely possible that Leclerc will go down as another bona fide Ferrari legend, and its most tenured driver too, without a crowning achievement to top it off.<\/p>\n

\"Charles <\/p>\n

Photo by: Alessio Morgese \/ NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n

But under Fred Vasseur Ferrari has shown signs of life, innovation and risk taking, too. And given the way it has kicked off the 2026 regulations cycle, it’s not implausible for the Scuderia to contend at some point over the next few years, even if I feel the likes of McLaren and Red Bull have a better track record of developing their way to the front midway through. The only clear upgrade would have been Mercedes, which already seemed a non-starter, while it’s not yet clear if there will be any driver shuffles at McLaren or Red Bull beyond 2027 – but there might be.<\/p>\n

That’s why it’s quite the statement of intent from Leclerc, who still had a deal until the end of 2027, to be shoving in all his chips before it was really his turn to commit to the pot.<\/p>\n

Does pledging loyalty to Ferrari so early for so long involve risk? By the nature of the sport, yes. Just ask Fernando Alonso<\/a> about being at the wrong team at the wrong time. But while not winning with Ferrari would be a career unfulfilled, there is one nightmarish scenario on the table that would be even worse. Ferrari winning the title, with Leclerc watching on wearing different colours. It would be a mistake he would never forgive himself for.<\/p>\n

Leclerc\u2019s\u00a0love and loyalty to Ferrari are commendable – Ben Vinel<\/p>\n

There is something endearing, almost romantic, about a longstanding relationship between team and driver. Especially when it comes to\u00a0Leclerc, who was dubbed Il Predestinato \u2013 \u2018the predestined\u2019 or, more loosely, \u2018the chosen one\u2019 \u2013 by Sky Italia commentator Carlo Vanzini from a young age.<\/p>\n

Leclerc has always been all about Ferrari. At three years old, watching the Monaco Grand Prix from a friend\u2019s apartment at Sainte-Devote corner, he was looking out for the red cars, he recalled. Meeting Michael Schumacher<\/a> as a child only ignited his passion further. And late Ferrari protege Jules Bianchi<\/a> was, to him, a godfather of sorts.<\/p>\n

Leclerc has now been with Ferrari for more than 10 years, having joined the team\u2019s driver academy ahead of the 2016 season. Their story has been one of success \u2013 back-to-back titles in GP3 and Formula 2, 27 pole positions and eight grand prix victories in Formula 1 \u2013 but also heartbreak and frustration. There was Bianchi\u2019s loss, obviously, but also numerous lost opportunities amid mechanical issues, strategy mistakes and driver errors.<\/p>\n

\"Charles <\/p>\n

Charles Leclerc already fulfilled a childhood dream by winning his home race in Monaco.<\/p>\n

Photo by: Erik Junius<\/p>\n

Most importantly, Ferrari just never seems to put it together as a credible title contender. It is always thereabouts, taking the odd race win, but never quite there. And as you live out your dream \u2013 in this case, racing for the Scuderia \u2013 it gradually becomes less and less dream-like.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019d forgive\u00a0Leclerc, given his evident talent and comprehensive skillset, for thinking twice about his future in Maranello. One would wager he sometimes wonders what life would be like elsewhere. That\u2019s human.<\/p>\n

But he just won\u2019t act on it.\u00a0Leclerc\u2019s loyalty lies with Ferrari, as shown by their latest deal keeping him at the team until, presumably, 2028 at the earliest.<\/p>\n

Surely, at some point, Ferrari will get it right, and\u00a0Leclerc will finally get a title-contending car. But, regardless, he\u2019s writing a remarkable chapter in Formula 1\u2019s history as the man who persevered for so long with his beloved squad. There has never been anything quite like it \u2013 and may never be.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

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– The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wednesday morning, Ferrari announced it had agreed a “multi-year” contract extension with long-time Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":713999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,3025,255891,578,930,576,577,258730,249565,82],"class_list":["post-713998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-circuit-de-monaco","tag-f1","tag-ferrari","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-is-leclercs-leap-of-faith-with-ferrari-the-right-choice-our-writers-have-their-say","tag-monaco-gp","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}