F1: Leclerc has signed a 4-year contract with Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari's boss Maurizio Arrivabene confirmed in Singapore that the youngster Charles Leclerc's contract has been signed for a period of four years.

The 20-year-old Monegasque, Ferrari's youngest driver in its history since 19-year-old Ricardo Rodriguez, who was offered a guest-drive at the Italian Grand Prix in 1961.

After the rumors that Ferrari was set to extend Kimi Raikkonen's contract, Leclerc's deal - initially signed off by Sergio Marchionne before his untimely death- was finally confirmed earlier this week, the Finn will swap seats with Monegasque for the 2019 season.

"When you make some choices like this, that are related to the driver, you don't have to look only at the short-term commitment but also at the long-term commitment," said Arrivabene on Friday.

A long-term commitment means it's not only for next year, it's for the future of the team – how you are going to grow a young talent, and what you want to expect from him for the future."

Arrivabene said Leclerc's signing was all about the Italian outfit's future.

"This has nothing to do with the respect that I have for Kimi, that is great, as a human being and a driver," he said.

"But if you have to do a choice, thinking about the future of the team, I think we made the right choice, for us and for Kimi.

"I signed with Charles in November 2016 the first contract in the Ferrari Driver Academy. In that contract we already designed and committed and signed and wrote his future in Formula One.

"So Charles Leclerc is not a big surprise, he's one of the talented drivers that we have in Formula 1.

"Thank God, it's a guy that he grew up with us and I hope that he is going to continue his career with us, at least until 2022 for sure."