“Staying in red forever would be a dream”: 24-year-old Charles Leclerc ready to commit to Ferrari lifetime contract

Charles Leclerc admitted that he is ready to commit himself to Ferrari for the rest of his Formula 1 career.

Leclerc has been in the Ferrari books for a long time and won the 2017 F2 Championship as their academy driver. The next year, he made his F1 debut with Sauber and spent a full season with them before moving to Maranello in 2019.

At Ferrari, Leclerc has been hailed as the star boy since arriving at the team. They haven’t won a Drivers’ Championship since 2007 and a Constructors’ Championship since 2008 and Leclerc has often been hailed as the one who will bring glory back to the Scuderia.

This year was the first time Leclerc had a chance of fighting for the Title. He won two out of the opening three races and was an early favorite to win the 2022 Championship. In the subsequent rounds, however, luck went against him and the tides shifted in Red Bull’s favor.

Ferrari made plenty of strategy errors and dealt with reliability issues. This added to mistakes made by Leclerc himself saw the team give up huge points to Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

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Ferrari is the dream for every driver, says Charles Leclerc

Ferrari is arguably the most popular team in F1 history. They are more successful than anyone else, and it’s true that their worldwide fanbase in incredibly passionate. Thus, it’s not a surprise that most young drivers grow up aspiring to put on the red overalls of a Ferrari race suit.

Leclerc himself has been a fan of the prancing horses his whole life. This is why, winning the Title with them is something he desperately wants. Even though Ferrari have made so many mistakes as a team in 2022, his love for them remains stronger than ever.

“Staying in red forever would be a dream,” the 24-year-old said to Corriere. “Driving for Ferrari is the dream of every driver, and I’m living it.”

Leclerc hoping for a strong finish to the 2022 season

2022 has been a year of ‘what ifs’ for Leclerc. He’s currently 109 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ Standings with just five races to go. The Dutchman can claim his second successive Title victory at this weekend’s Japanese GP itself if he wins the race with the fastest lap.

Even if Verstappen does not win the race, it’s highly likely that he’ll walk away from Suzuka as the 2022 World Champion. Despite the looming outcome, Leclerc will want to finish the season on a strong note.

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez is just two points behind Leclerc after his recent Singapore GP win. Even though the Title looks out of reach for Leclerc, he will be hoping to retain P2 in the Standings.

Also read: Max Verstappen revisits his father’s Honda F1 after 24 years