Charles Leclerc has only one goal in mind despite Mercedes rumors - “Ferrari deserves to win and we must lead them”

Charles Leclerc is not having the season he had hoped for this year. After finishing as a runner-up in the 2022 season, he has been having a slow season where he only managed to get a couple of podiums and some decent points finishes.

In a recent interview with Corriere Della Sera, Leclerc talked about how his wins in 2022 are still 'fresh' in his mind and a couple of podiums finishes are not enough for him and his team.

"They are beautiful, but I didn't enjoy them. The memory of 2022 is too fresh. We must not settle for a second or third place. Ferrari deserves to win and we must lead them to win."

Back in 2022, Charles Leclerc dominated the first part of the championship. He showed his true potential from his first win of the season in Bahrain.

He called the Ferrari F1-75 as "the beast" after taking his first Grand Slam in Australia. He started from pole, won the race, took the fastest lap, and the most votes for the driver of the day, an achievement only a handful of drivers in Formula One have to their names.

However, soon his championship dreams seem to slowly fade away after a couple of bad races due to driver errors or bad strategy calls. It truly started to hit Leclerc when he had a minor setback during the Imola Grand Prix.

When asked if he has a championship-winning car this year, he said he doesn't particularly feel one with this car.

"In the first laps of the tests, there was a strange feeling, something didn't add up in the balance. But only later did I discover that performance was also lacking."

Charles Leclerc finished on the podium during the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix and is currently fifth in the championship standings while his teammate, Carlos Sainz stands at seventh.

Charles Leclerc has reportedly signed a new contract extension with Ferrari

Charles Leclerc joined Scuderia Ferrari back in 2019 and teamed up with the four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel. He became the first diver in Ferrari history to sign a five-year contract.

The five-year contract comes to an end by the end of the 2023 season and reports are suggesting that Leclerc has already signed a new deal with his team.

The new agreement will contain options for the next three seasons and will be guaranteed for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, according to Sportune. If his new contract is extended for another five years, the contract for Leclerc will be worth roughly £160 million, a new all-time high for F1.