Charles Leclerc has confirmed that he received offers from rival teams before signing his new contract extension with Ferrari, though the Monegasque admitted that staying with the Scuderia was \u201calways the choice\u201d.<\/p>\n
Just days before he competes in his home race at the Monaco Grand Prix<\/a>, it was announced that Leclerc<\/a> will remain with Ferrari<\/a> \u201cfor the coming seasons\u201d after agreeing a new multi-year deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n It marks the continued partnership between the two sides, which began when Leclerc joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016. Following his debut F1 season in 2018 with Sauber, a move to Ferrari followed for his sophomore campaign one year later.<\/p>\n Since then, Leclerc has scored eight race wins and 27 pole positions \u2013 a pedigree that seemingly attracted the attentions of some of the squad\u2019s competitors.<\/p>\n When asked during Thursday\u2019s media day in Monaco if there had been other options available before signing his new Ferrari contract, the 28-year-old answered: \u201cThere were, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Pushed further on whether he could name the candidates, Leclerc added: \u201cNo, I’m not going to say. They can say it if they want. But yeah, for me, Ferrari was always the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Leclerc also shared details on why he ultimately chose to stay with the Scuderia, admitting that the decision was \u201cvery clear\u201d to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the team \u2013 I think that’s pretty obvious from the outside,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with Ferrari as a whole. They’ve been one of the first people to believe in me and to help me to get to where I am today.<\/p>\n