Felipe Massa hopes Ferrari find what is ‘still missing’ after Charles Leclerc signed new contract

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Felipe Massa is happy that Charles Leclerc has signed a new contract for Ferrari, and he hopes to see the Scuderia now finally find what is “missing” to win another F1 title.

The Scuderia announced on Wednesday morning that Leclerc has put pen to new terms that will keep him in Maranello for the foreseeable future. Ferrari have not confirmed the length of the Monegasque’s new contract, but it has emerged that the deal locks him up past 2030.

Leclerc is now the only F1 driver with a contract that is expected to continue into the 2030s. It is also said that Leclerc’s new Ferrari contract is worth £43m per year, having gained a pay rise from his £29.5m per year wage with his previous deal that was set to run through 2029.

After signing a new deal, will Charles Leclerc retire as a Ferrari driver?

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Felipe Massa thinks Charles Leclerc’s new contract is ‘good’, but questions Ferrari’s title chances

Massa believes Leclerc has made a good decision by signing a new long-term contract with Ferrari – despite the Scuderia not winning the F1 drivers’ championship since 2007 nor the constructors’ title since 2008. He also questions whether an F1 title will be possible in 2026.

READ MORE: The best moments of Charles Leclerc’s career in Formula 1

Mercedes and 19-year-old Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli have seriously impressed Massa so far this year, having dominated the first five rounds of the season. Massa refuses to rule out a Ferrari title tilt this season, however, as long as they finally find their “missing” ingredient.

“I think it is still the beginning,” Massa told Sky Sports News (03/06, 14:53) about the 2026 F1 title battle. “You know, the championship, many things can change – as we saw last year with Max [Verstappen], it is an example that things can change quickly in Formula 1.

“Definitely, Mercedes look really on top this season. I’m so happy for Kimi, because, I mean, I met him [when] he was 13 years old – what he’s doing is really unbelievable, and I really support him massively this year.

“But I think it’s good, I mean [for] Charles, Ferrari are a good team. Definitely, something is still missing to become like he was in the past, to manage to win the championship. But it’s a good contract [and] a good team, so you never know.

“Maybe things can really fit, and maybe he can have that opportunity. As a driver, nothing to say, he’s an amazing driver. I also met him when he was a kid. But I think it was a good thing for him, and I really hope Ferrari have what is still missing soon and they can fight.”

Antonelli leads the 2026 drivers’ standings ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with a 43-point advantage over his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Italian has also won each of the past four Grands Prix, of which he even secured pole position for the first three.

Leclerc ranks as the best-of-the-rest so far this year in third place for Ferrari with a 56-point deficit to Antonelli. The Monegasque has also yet to win a Grand Prix this year, with his best results of P3 registered in Australia and Japan – along with P4 finishes in China and Canada.

Scoring 75 points through the first five rounds of the season also makes 2026 the third-best start to a season that Leclerc has enjoyed so far in his F1 career. Only in 2022 when Leclerc scored 104 points to lead the standings and in 2024 when he secured 76 points has he ever earned more points through the first five rounds of a season than he has managed in 2026.

Leclerc emerged as a potential title contender at the start of 2022 as Ferrari adapted well at first to the introduction of ground-effect cars. But Red Bull soon out-developed the Scuderia and Max Verstappen went on to win the title that term by a massive 146 points over Leclerc.