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Charles Leclerc’s contract extension has reinforced his career-long intention of bringing a world championship back to Maranello for Ferrari’s beloved Tifosi, but he hopes to avoid one Michael Schumacher scenario in doing so.
With Leclerc turning 29 years old in October, it is widely expected that the Monegasque driver will continue to race in red well into his 30s following confirmation that he signed an extension to his existing deal with Ferrari ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
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The Ferrari drivers flipped their order at the top between FP1 and FP2
In doing so, Leclerc may also become Ferrari’s longest-residing driver of all time. He currently sits second in the list with 155 entries under his belt for the Scuderia, with Michael Schumacher’s 180 starts for the iconic Italian racing outfit currently leading the way.
It’s a relatively surprising stat, which can be seen as a testament to how many race weekends the current crop of F1 drivers has to deal with on a yearly basis. However, an even more eye-raising stat is the difference in Grand Prix victories the two drivers have.
Despite taking part in just 25 more races than Leclerc, Schumacher boasts 64 more trips to the top step of the podium. Success has been hard to come by for Ferrari’s current golden boy, and he is desperately waiting for his fortunes to change.
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Charles Leclerc hopes he doesn’t have to wait until he’s 31 before winning a title for Ferrari
During an interview with Sky Italia inside the Monaco Grand Prix paddock, the fact that Leclerc could become Ferrari’s longest-serving driver was presented to him, as well as the fact that Schumacher didn’t end up winning his first title with the Scuderia until he was 31 years old.
“I hope I don’t have to wait until I’m 31,” Leclerc replied. “What Michael did is unique and I can only hope to come close to his achievements. For now, though, there’s still a lot of work to be done.
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“Ferrari has always been something special to me. From the very first races I watched here, standing outside Turn 1, the car I always looked for was the red one.
“This love and the honour of representing these colours in Formula 1 have remained unchanged since day one.”
The Monegasque racing driver also shared an update on his relationship with current Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.
The Frenchman initially worked with him during Leclerc’s rookie campaign with Alfa Romeo in 2018, and relished the opportunity to reunite with him upon Vasseur’s move to Ferrari in 2023.
“We’ve been through difficult times and wonderful times, and that’s also what has made our relationship so strong,” Leclerc continued. “I believe in this team, and I have an excellent relationship with Fred, which is one of the reasons we decided to continue together.
“Furthermore, values such as loyalty are fundamental to me. Ferrari believed in me from the very beginning and allowed me to get this far.
“Now, however, there is still a lot of work to be done: we must win this World Championship. Being Ferrari is something completely different.”
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