Author Archives: PressBox

Ferrari announced on the eve of Charles Leclerc’s home Monaco GP in 2025 that the 28-year-old has signed a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at Maranello “for the coming seasons.” The team framed the timing as a sporting and symbolic vote of confidence, and media reports, including PlanetF1, said the deal may run beyond 2030. Ferrari said the extension formally binds the eight-time Grand Prix winner, ends speculation over his future and removes a major element of uncertainty for its driver-roster decisions.

Leclerc joined Ferrari’s driver academy in 2016 and made his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber (the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo team), earning promotion to Ferrari after one year on the grid. Since joining Ferrari full time he has won eight grands prix and finished in the top three in the drivers’ championship on three occasions. He is Ferrari’s second-most capped driver and ranks second for pole positions at the team behind Michael Schumacher. He sits third in the 2026 World Championship standings behind Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Leclerc called Ferrari his “second family” and pledged to give “absolutely everything” to bring the World Championship back to Maranello for the tifosi. Team principal Fred Vasseur described the renewal as “very natural,” praising Leclerc’s talent, determination and fit with the team. Ferrari said the extension signals continuity in its driver lineup and underscores the team’s long-term commitment to Leclerc and its championship ambitions. The new deal follows a 2024 agreement that included an exit clause and a January 2025 arrangement that had been described as covering “several more seasons.”

Ferrari enters this year’s Monaco Grand Prix with the clearest technical upside for the street race. The SF‑26’s strong low‑speed performance, notably its traction out of slow corners, a smaller turbocharger and features such as an exhaust‑blown element and a rear winglet that paddock observers have highlighted, suits Monaco’s short straights and low‑to‑medium‑speed corners.

This season’s rule changes have reduced the importance of outright straight‑line power. They include the removal of straight‑line mode areas, lower overtake‑mode energy and reduced high‑speed deployment, a shift of electronic power to 50 percent, narrower cars and a return to a normal one‑stop tyre rule. Those changes have made battery management less constraining and improved low‑speed energy recovery. That should tighten qualifying and play to Ferrari’s strengths, even though overtaking around Monaco will remain difficult.

That should boost expectations for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Monte Carlo. Leclerc, the 2024 Monaco winner who has three poles from seven appearances and a strong qualifying record at the principality, remains a leading candidate for pole and race pace; he called his Canadian weekend “the most difficult” of his career. Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari in 2025 and finished second in Canada, said he was “convinced” he could finally mount a genuine challenge for his first Ferrari win at Monaco and stressed the need for careful setup work in practice. He and others note that, if development programmes such as ADUO narrow Ferrari’s engine gap, the team could contend even more strongly.

Still, rivals and circumstances temper expectations of a Ferrari runaway. Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull remain threats, and some pre‑race assessments still name Mercedes the favourite after the team’s strong qualifying form this season and an overall qualifying advantage over Ferrari. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, 43 points clear, called Ferrari the “team to beat” and pointed to the rear winglet as evidence of how finely matched the weekend could be. Monaco’s history of crashes, miscued yellow flags or a little rain means surprise results remain possible despite the SF‑26’s low‑speed strengths.

Nico Rosberg reflected on his intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, saying the on-track clashes that marked their Mercedes years were “probably more my fault than his.” Rosberg said he deliberately became tougher on track, training with meditation and visualization to “hold his ground” in wheel-to-wheel battles and acknowledged that his tactics and refusal to yield contributed to several crashes, singling out the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix collision as the most infamous example. He credited those confrontations as factors that helped him secure the 2016 Drivers’ Championship, said the 2016 fight strained a relationship that began in childhood, and noted he retired immediately after that season because the battle had taken a lot out of him.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Rosberg praised Hamilton’s longevity and professionalism and said he was “amazed” Hamilton was still competing a decade after Rosberg retired. Rosberg noted Hamilton’s sustained excellence, including four consecutive championships that made him a seven-time world champion by 2020, and he described Hamilton in the piece as a “genius.” Rosberg said he hoped the 41-year-old could add an eighth world title but expressed doubt that Hamilton could secure it, arguing that the Ferrari car “isn’t good enough” and that Hamilton’s level “is not quite there yet,” while qualifying that Hamilton “would deserve it.” Rosberg predicted Hamilton would still win at least one race this season, pointed to an improved sophomore year at Ferrari highlighted by a P2 in Canada, and said the 2026 regulations and two podiums so far had helped Hamilton respond strongly after a difficult 2025. Rosberg also warned that intra-team dynamics, notably a strong Charles Leclerc, would be decisive in any title bid. Kimi Antonelli echoed the view that Ferrari were favourites and suggested Hamilton could win at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.

Red Bull must choose between stopping the RB22’s persistent bouncing (porpoising) and protecting lap time. Team principal Laurent Mekies says a straightforward fix would halt the bounce but cost pace, so he will not approve any rushed or performance‑costly change.

The bouncing was visible at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and affected Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Engineers are analysing factory data to find a measured fix that removes the bounce without losing pace; Mekies says there is nothing they are seeing that cannot be fixed this year, but he warns the problem could reappear in Monaco. He wants a considered solution that preserves the team’s competitiveness.

McLaren unveiled a one-off livery for the Monaco Grand Prix to mark the team’s 1,000th F1 start. The MCL40s for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will carry the special paint, feature a large “1,000” on the sidepods and include hidden references to McLaren’s first race, major victories, championship successes, Triple Crown links and the team’s world‑record pit stop. McLaren billed the design “McLaren Never Quits.” Some reports described the paint as metallic papaya and anthracite; others called it orange and black. McLaren said the design was created for Monaco and will also be used at the Spanish GP.

McLaren will stage a special moment on the grid on Thursday, June 4 when the team’s first F1 car, the M2B, will be displayed alongside the MCL40. The original M2B is owned by Richard Mille. Senior figures expected to attend include CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella, the drivers and F1 president Stefano Domenicali, and McLaren has invited its living grand prix winners. The drivers will wear matching special overalls for the occasion. Zak Brown said the celebration recognises the team’s “grit and determination,” and CMO Lou McEwen said the livery honours the challenges and resilience that define McLaren.

The 1,000th start milestone ties back to McLaren’s F1 debut in Monaco in 1966 and coincides with the 60th anniversary of that first appearance. McLaren is the second team in F1 history to reach 1,000 starts, after Ferrari reached the mark in 2020. The team highlighted its historical record in the announcement, citing 203 Grand Prix wins, 561 podiums, 177 poles, 13 Drivers’ Championships and 10 Constructors’ Championships.

McLaren noted the Monaco special is the fifth one-off livery it has produced in six years, following a pale blue Gulf scheme in 2021, a “Triple Crown” design in 2023, a 30-year Ayrton Senna tribute in 2024 and a 1960s‑inspired livery in 2025 when Lando Norris won the race.