Formula 1: Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari contract runs through at least 2022

Earlier this week, Charles Leclerc signed a contract to driver for Scuderia Ferrari starting in the 2019 Formula 1 season. It has now been confirmed that this contract runs through at least the 2022 season.

On early Tuesday morning, it was revealed that 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen would be leaving Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2018 Formula 1 season and replacing rookie Charles Leclerc at Alfa Romeo Sauber beginning in 2019.

It was then revealed that Leclerc had signed with Ferrari to be the replacement for the 38-year-old Finn at Ferrari as the teammate to four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel beginning next season.

While the length of the new contract signed by the 20-year-old Monegasque was not confirmed at the time, it has now been revealed that this contract runs through at least the 2022 season, meaning that it is at least a four-year contract.

Here is what Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene had to say about the contract signed by the 2016 GP3 Series and 2017 Formula 2 champion, according to Motorsport.com.

"“In this contract, we had already designed, fixed, signed and described its future in F1, as we did with [Antonio] Giovinazzi, the same thing, and that means that we are also changing the way we organize the Ferrari Driver Academy, but also how we are going to develop talent for the future.“Charles Leclerc is not a big surprise, he’s one of the talented drivers we have in F1, thank God he’s a guy who grew up with us and I hope he’ll continue his career with us, at least until 2022. When you make choices like this, which are related to the pilot, you do not just have to take into account the short-term commitment, but also the commitment to long term.”"

Leclerc signing this new contract culminated a long process that took place over the past few months and involved he and Raikkonen switching places several times as the driver who was more likely to sign a contract to drive for the Italian team next season.

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Raikkonen is currently in his eighth overall season and fifth consecutive season driving for the Scuderia, as he returned to the team in the 2014 season after driving for them from the 2007 season through the 2009 season.

Leclerc, meanwhile, is having the best season by any Sauber driver since Felipe Nasr secured six top 10 finishes and 27 points en route to a 13th place finish in the driver standings in the 19-race 2015 season. He has recorded five top 10 finishes, including a career-high sixth place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and scored 13 points through the first 14 races of this season. He sits in 15th in the standings with seven races remaining on the schedule.

Vettel, meanwhile, signed a three-year contract extension with Ferrari last season that runs through the end of the 2020 season, meaning that he and Leclerc are set to be teammates for at least the next two seasons starting in 2019. He is currently in his fourth season driving for the team after replacing two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso ahead of the 2015 season.

What will Charles Leclerc accomplish in his first four seasons driving for Ferrari through the 2019 Formula 1 season? Will he end up re-signing with the team to continue driving for them beyond the conclusion of the 2022 season?