Following the announcement of Charles Leclerc‘s multi-year contract extension with Ferrari, it is estimated that the Italian giants are the first team on the grid to surpass the €100 million wage bill (£86.5 million), as the 28-year-old has been rewarded with an extended contract that sees him stay at the Prancing Horse into his 30s, while also receiving a hefty pay rise.

Despite his previous contract not expiring until the 2029 season, Ferrari revealed on Wednesday, two days prior to the beginning of Leclerc’s home race weekend, that they have agreed a new deal to keep the Monegasque driver at the team for a few years longer.

Ferrari revealed that Leclerc’s new contract will commit him to stay at the team “for the coming seasons.” This new deal comes at a significant time for both the driver and the team, as rumours started to circulate and questions were beginning to be asked about whether they could offer him a car capable of winning the world championship following their inability to provide him with one necessary to compete for and win a world championship since his arrival back in 2019.

After receiving heavy interest from Ferrari’s competitors, Leclerc had been linked with a potential departure and a stunning move to the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, and even Aston Martin. However, following the announcement of his new deal, many F1 fans now believe that Leclerc will see out his Formula 1 career in the red of Ferrari, with the hopes of winning his first-ever Drivers’ Championship.

Finances Behind Charles Leclerc’s New Ferrari Deal

His brand-new contract extension also reportedly sees him receive a significant pay rise, which will now see the Monegasque earning €50 million per year (£43 million). This has gone up from his previous deal, which was worth €34m a year (£29.5m).

His pay rise, however, still sees him earn less than seven-time champion and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, as it is reported that he has a deal that steered him away from Mercedes, worth €60 million per year (£52 million), and it potentially will keep the most decorated Formula One driver in history at Ferrari until the 2027 season.

With Hamilton’s hefty wage and Leclerc’s increased salary, Ferrari have become the first team on the current grid to surpass the €100 million (£86.5 million) barrier for their drivers’ combined salaries, ahead of Red Bull, who pay their drivers a combined amount of €75 million (£65 million), with Max Verstappen receiving €70 million per year (£60.5 million).

Despite Ferrari seeming reluctant to reveal the full duration of Leclerc’s contract extension, it has been reported that he will stay at Ferrari beyond the 2030 season, while many fans, pundits, and paddock insiders begin to wonder if he has been offered an exit clause similar to the one of his previous contract that would have allowed him to depart after the 2026 season if he wasn’t provided with a championship-competing car.

Ibrahima Konate is on the verge of signing for Real Madrid following his departure from Liverpool.

The Frenchman’s future has been a talking point for many months, with his contract at Liverpool expiring this summer. In April, it looked as if he would extend his stay at Liverpool. Fabrizio Romano reported that the two parties were close to a contract agreement and that talks had advanced into the final stages.

However, despite optimism that a deal would be done, an agreement could not be reached and, following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, it was announced that Konate was departing the club on a free transfer.

GMS Sources understand that Liverpool were keen to keep the 27-year-old at the club and were willing to give him a pay-rise which reflected his own standing in the squad. Konate was also open to staying should his demands be met.

However, there wasn’t enough movement on either side, meaning Konate will become a free agent this summer.

How Much Ibrahima Konate Will Earn at Real Madrid

Konate has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and he is now closing in on a move to the Spanish capital.

Fabrizio Romano announced earlier this week that an agreement had been reached and that he has signed a four-year contract.

The terms of his contract have now come to light. According to Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda, Konate was demanding a signing bonus of €20 million, and a yearly salary of €12 million net per season. That works out to around £400,000-per-week before tax, per Anfield Watch.

El Desmarque have now reported that Real Madrid have agreed to those terms. He will earn a salary very similar to that of David Alaba, who joined the club on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2021.

Konate was earning around £150,000-per-week at Liverpool, per Goal, meaning he has been given a mammoth pay-rise.

Ibrahima Konate Pays Tribute to Liverpool After Exit

REUTERS/David Klein

Konate made 183 appearances for Liverpool during his five-year spell at the club. He scored seven times and helped them to five trophies, including the Premier League title in 2025.

He penned an emotional post on Instagram after it was revealed he was leaving the club. He wrote:

“Representing this club has been an honour. We’ve shared incredible moments together… highs and lows, trophies, challenges, lifelong friendships, and heartbreaking moments that will stay with us forever, none more painful than losing our brother Diogo.

“Losing my father this year was one of the hardest periods of my life, but even through hardship, my commitment to this club never changed. During the toughest moments, I gave everything I had for this badge.

“To my teammates, coaches, staff and everyone behind the scenes, thank you for helping me grow every single day. And to the supporters… thank you for your love, your energy, and your incredible support. Anfield is truly a special place, and playing in front of you was something I never took for granted.

“I am deeply saddened that I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to all of you at the last game. At that moment, I didn’t know it would be my final time wearing this shirt in front of you.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. I love you all and will carry Liverpool with me wherever I go. This isn’t an easy goodbye, but it’s time for a new challenge and a new chapter.”

During the week of the 2026 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, it was announced that Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc had signed a brand new multi-year deal with Italian giants Ferrari.

Despite the new deal that keeps Leclerc at Ferrari into his 30s, the contract negotiations reportedly haven’t been smooth-sailing for the driver, after various suggestions have since emerged that he held talks with one of Ferrari’s biggest rivals.

Leclerc has won eight Grands Prix during his career, which have all come in the famous red cockpit of Ferrari since he joined in 2019, and his new deal sees him prolong his stay at the team for many more years.

Without many rumours or talk inside the F1 paddock and world, his multi-year contract extension with Ferrari came as a surprise for many, especially after considering that there haven’t been any reports of unhappiness or tension within the team regarding his previous contract situation.

Despite this, there have been many discussions previously suggesting that, due to Ferrari’s struggles and inability to provide its drivers with championship-winning cars in recent history, if Leclerc wants to achieve his dream of becoming a Formula One world champion, then he needs to depart the scarlet red team and look elsewhere.

Charles Leclerc’s Secret Talks Elsewhere

Former F1 driver and current pundit, Ralf Schumacher, has previously revealed that Leclerc apparently had held talks with Aston Martin over a potential move for the Monegasque, but given their horrendous start to the 2026 season and difficulty adjusting to the new regulations, if Leclerc had departed for the Silverstone-based team, then his attempt for a world championship would have taken a step back.

However, in an F1 Insider podcast episode previewing the Monaco Grand Prix, journalist Ralf Bach was asked for his thoughts and feelings regarding Leclerc’s new multi-year deal at Ferrari, and whether it was the correct decision for him moving forward in his ever talented career. It was then that he revealed about the ‘behind the scenes’ talks Leclerc had… with Red Bull!

Bach initially responded by suggesting that Leclerc has made the “right choice” for himself, before revealing that he had also held talks with Laurent Mekies, who is the Red Bull chief, one of Ferrari’s biggest competitors.

“One had heard that Red Bull were really pushing hard, especially Laurent Mekies – the two of them are French mates, you could say.

“He believes he feels very much at home there. He feels at home in red; he feels like a Ferrari driver. And I think he made the right decision. And Ferrari is also backing him because he’s one of the best drivers out there.

“If he becomes even more consistent – that’s something he’s lacking a bit, as we saw in Canada – then he’s absolutely a title contender. So I think he’s done everything right.”

Leclerc’s first chance of victory following his brand-new contract extension is his home race at Monaco, with many insiders and drivers suggesting that Ferrari have an excellent chance of claiming their first victory of the season this weekend. So will Leclerc be able to repeat his 2024 home heroics and claim another historic victory in the red of Ferrari this weekend?