Charles Leclerc has explained that bringing Ferrari back to the top of Formula 1 is his biggest goal, proclaiming that he loves the team “very much”.
The Monegasque is now in his seventh F1 season with the Scuderia, having served his apprenticeship with a one-season term with Sauber [then Alfa Romeo].
In the intervening years, Leclerc has fully cemented himself as the darling of the team and its ‘tifosi’ fanbase with his loyalty and exciting driving.
Leclerc’s undeniable skill and ability has perhaps, to many, felt somewhat wasted amid the seasons in which the Maranello squad has struggled for results, like this year.
2026 has seen one pole positions and four podium finishes, a meagre reward for Leclerc’s efforts, as he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton have laboured in the disappointing SF-25.
When asked, ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, why he has not sought a move to a more consistently competitive rival outfit, Leclerc cited his burning “love” for his current employer.
“Because I love this team very much, I think that’s the answer,” he said.
“I’ve always loved Ferrari and that’s where I draw my motivation from because I want to bring back Ferrari to the top, no matter how long it takes.
“I’ll do absolutely everything until I stop believing in the project, but at the moment I’m fully into it, I’m fully working on it and that’s what motivates me.”
Leclerc admitted that seeing runaway leaders McLaren take a huge step with a dominant package this season has been hard to take, but affirmed his commitment to helping Ferrari return to success.
“Of course that doesn’t erase the disappointment that I had at the beginning of the season when I saw that we were quite a few steps behind McLaren,” he added.
“But then you reset and you find your motivation in other goals, in other targets, which is now to hopefully get a win this year.
“It’s underwhelming compared to where we wanted to be, but it’s a situation we are in and as a driver I’ve got to make the best out of this situation, not only for the team but also for myself.
“I’m very competitive as well so the fact that we’ve got two cars is also something that pushes me to keep being at the top of my game and to keep improving.”
‘Not reacting on emotions’ the key to Leclerc keeping focus on Ferrari goals
Naturally, a driver of Leclerc’s calibre inevitably leads to opinions on what his career choices ought to be, but 27-year-old said the key to his one track mind is blocking out external conversation.
“This is what I’ve been doing since I started with the team,” he explained.
“Obviously 2019 was a little bit more difficult because I was young, everything was new… and there was also a lot of hype on just me… being in red for my second year in Formula 1 was just very special.
“But since then it’s important to do a step back and to not always react on emotions and on what’s being said around.
“I think it’s very important to just stay focused and on that I think we are doing a good job – but not good enough, because we must be back winning soon.”
READ MORE – Why avoiding winless F1 season isn’t Ferrari’s priority in 2025
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