Charles Leclerc has been able to win races at Ferrari but, in seven years with the team in Formula 1, has not yet had the chance to challenge for championship glory

Charles Leclerc said he is “obsessed” with winning Formula 1 titles with Ferrari. The Monegasque was responding to a question about his future in his seventh season with the team, having not yet had the chance to fight for the World championship during that long tenure.

Leclerc, 27, is of a generation of special drivers who graduated to F1 with the ‘future World champion’ tag placed upon them. But the Monegasque has yet to have the chance to live up to that billing with Ferrari enduring a long title drought stretching back to 2008.

They came reasonably close in the constructors’ championship last year, keeping McLaren honest until the final day. But they have failed to provide another stiff challenge this year and the drivers’ title looks set to be a two-horse race between Lando Norris and his team-mate Oscar Piastri.

McLaren took over from Red Bull as the dominant force on the grid, which delivered four drivers’ titles for Max Verstappen who is the same age as Leclerc. Both Norris and Piastri are younger than the Monegasque.

As frustrating as that must be to Leclerc, he continues to insist that the privilege of representing the famous red team means more to him than challenging for a championship elsewhere. “I drive for Ferrari and that means a lot,” he said.

“Being part of this team and of Ferrari is an honour for me. My main goal right now is to bring it back to winning ways, and I owe Ferrari so much because they brought me into F1, they brought me in Ferrari.

“We need to win now. Of course I am not indifferent to other drivers winning, like Max or Lando and Oscar now, but I am focused on bringing this team back to the top. I will do anything with Fred [Vasseur, team principal] and with Lewis [Hamilton, team-mate] to win again. That is my only obsession.”

Ferrari’s failure to compete with McLaren this year led to speculation in the Italian press over the future of team boss Vasseur. But that was put to bed this week when Ferrari confirmed a new multi-year contract extension for the Frenchman, who joined in early 2023.

Leclerc is pleased with the steps he has seen the squad take under Vasseur’s leadership and said: “The improvements are coming step-by-step. We have definitely made progress in the right direction. We are certainly not satisfied with where we are, but we are happy with the steps forward.

“Before the start of the season there was a lot of hype around the team, and I think that changed the perception a bit of our season. Because, I will say it again, we are not where we want to be. Ferrari can only be satisfied with winning, and we know that well. We are fighting with for the second place in the championship so there is still a long way to go, but the progress is encouraging.”