CHARLES LECLERC HAS committed his long-term future to Ferrari by agreeing a multi-year contract extension on the eve of his home race in Monaco.

Leclerc, who beat Lewis Hamilton in their first season together as team-mates and is three points ahead of the British driver after five rounds so far, signed his last deal in 2024, which had already been expected to carry him through to 2029.

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Ferrari said on Wednesday that the star’s latest renewal will keep him with the team for the “coming seasons”.

Leclerc, 28, has been with Ferrari since 2019, and remains a key part of the Italian team’s future ambitions despite the arrival of Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion, 41, joined on a multi-year deal from Mercedes in 2025 and indicated last season that he has a contract in place with Ferrari for next year.

Leclerc said: “I couldn’t be happier to continue this journey with Ferrari.

“It has always been so much more than just a team to me. 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.

“Together we’ve shared incredible moments and some tougher ones, 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.

“Being a Ferrari driver is a dream, but it’s also a responsibility I never take for granted. 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.”

Leclerc’s new deal will carry him pass Michael Schumacher’s record 179 starts for Ferrari. Leclerc, who has already competed 155 times for the Scuderia, will head into Sunday’s race as the favourite to win, with the unique Monte Carlo circuit expected to suit Ferrari’s machinery.