Virtually committing himself to Ferrari for the rest of his F1 career, Charles Leclerc insists he never had any doubts about extending his contract.

The Monegasque's previous contract is believed to have run until the end of next year, and though no official details have been revealed the extension will probably take him to the end of the decade, by which time he will be 32.

While that is still young for an F1 driver, the arrival of young talents like Antonelli and Bearman suggests that the old guard will be under threat.

Though he is with the most recognised team in the history of the sport, Leclerc faces the same prospect as many others who committed themselves to the Maranello outfit, a bridesmaid, but never the bride.

However, asked if there was any doubt about him remaining with the Scuderia, the Monegasque was adamant.

"Why now?" he said of his decision. "It's not that I had a timeline in my head. But why? I mean, it was very clear. I mean, I love the team. I think that's pretty obvious from the outside. It's been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with Ferrari as a whole. They've been one of the first people to believe in me and to help me to get to where I am today, and I believe in the project most of all. I think with Fred we have a very good relationship, and I strongly believe that he is the person that will be able to bring Ferrari back to the top.

"It's been a good start to the season," he added, "obviously not as good as what we would want, because we want to target the World Championship, but there's been a lot of innovation on the car.

"I know where we are lacking and that's probably more the engine side. We've got a plan coming up and hopefully it will help us to get back to where we want to be. But why? It's because I love this team and because I believe in the project, and for these two reasons, yeah, that's why we continue together."

Asked if he feels he can still challenge for the 2026 title, he said: "I think it's very difficult to predict because things can change and swing one way or the other very quickly, especially so early on with those regulations. So, it's probably too early to say, but I see a lot of motivation and everybody's pushing extremely hard back at the factory to try and make sure that we come back closer to Mercedes. So that's a goal, then we'll see whether we achieve it or not."

And of talk that Ferrari is widely favoured to win on Sunday...

"I think we are in a better place," he said. "I mean, if there's one track I would bet on us, it's probably Monaco. However, I still believe that Mercedes have had a significant advantage since the beginning of the year, so I think they will be very strong.

"I think McLaren will be very strong as well," he added. "I think Red Bull will be very strong. But it's true that on the other tracks so far, we've been struggling quite a bit on the straights, which should be less of a problem. We have a strong package chassis-wise and aero-wise, so I think it could help us. But Mercedes, I think, will still remain the team to beat."

Asked if there are any clauses in his contract, should Ferrari not be able to provide him with a car with which he can achieve his dream, he replied: "My love for the team is very big, but, of course, as you said, winning is important for every driver and it's what we race for. But winning in red for me has got a very unique feeling and something that I've dedicated all the years so far in Formula 1 to try and achieve. We didn't manage to achieve that yet, at least on a full season. I cannot go too much into the detail of contract, so I cannot comment unfortunately on the main question, but surely it's part of those discussions.

"I'm still very young," he added. "I mean, I'm 28, so I have many years ahead of me. But as I've said, at the moment this is what feels right for me and this is where I want to put all my focus, in trying to win with the team I love, that believed in me, that gave me the chance to be where I am today. And that's what felt right for me. And then for the future we'll see. Obviously, I don't know what will life look like in five or six or seven or ten years' time, but it's not the moment either to think about it."