Charles Leclerc revealed he is "obsessed" with securing Formula 1 titles for Ferrari. The Monegasque driver was addressing questions regarding his future during his seventh campaign with the Italian outfit, despite not yet having the opportunity to compete for the World championship throughout his extended spell.

Leclerc, 27, belongs to a generation of exceptional drivers who entered F1 carrying the 'future world champion' label. However, the Monegasque has yet to fulfil that potential with Ferrari experiencing a prolonged title drought extending back to 2008.

The Scuderia came relatively close in the constructors' championship last season, maintaining pressure on McLaren until the concluding round.

Nevertheless, they have struggled to mount another serious challenge this campaign and the drivers' crown appears destined to become a two-way battle between Lando Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri.

McLaren assumed control from Red Bull as the commanding presence on track, which secured four drivers' titles for Max Verstappen who shares the same age as Leclerc. Both Norris and Piastri are younger than the Monegasque racer.

Despite how exasperating this situation must prove for Leclerc, he maintains that the honour of driving for the legendary red squad holds greater significance than pursuing championship glory elsewhere.

"I drive for Ferrari and that means a lot," he stated. "Being part of this team and of Ferrari is an honour for me. My main goal right now is to bring it back to winning ways, and I owe Ferrari so much because they brought me into F1, they brought me in Ferrari.

"We need to win now. Of course I am not indifferent to other drivers winning, like Max or Lando and Oscar now, but I am focused on bringing this team back to the top. I will do anything with Fred [Vasseur, team principal] and with Lewis [Hamilton, team-mate] to win again. That is my only obsession."

Ferrari's inability to match McLaren this season sparked rumours in the Italian media regarding team principal Vasseur's future.

However, those concerns were dismissed this week when Ferrari announced a fresh multi-year deal for the Frenchman, who arrived in early 2023.

Leclerc is satisfied with the progress he has witnessed under Vasseur's guidance and remarked: "The improvements are coming step-by-step. We have definitely made progress in the right direction. We are certainly not satisfied with where we are, but we are happy with the steps forward.

"Before the start of the season there was a lot of hype around the team, and I think that changed the perception a bit of our season. Because, I will say it again, we are not where we want to be. Ferrari can only be satisfied with winning, and we know that well. We are fighting with for the second place in the championship so there is still a long way to go, but the progress is encouraging."