Charles Leclerc admits that it will be "super interesting" to see his new teammate's data as he seeks to know what he is capable of in the same car.

Since entering F1 in 2018, the Monegasque's teammates have been Marcus Ericsson, Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz and it is fair to say that he has pretty much seen all of them off.

Next year however sees the arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and though, like Vettel, the Briton is in the Autumn of his career, he is still capable of winning.

Ahead of his arrival, Leclerc says that what he is looking forward to most is to seeing how they both compare in the same car.

"I will be super curious to see what he has done right for all his career to have had all the success that he's had," the Ferrari star tells ESPN.

"He has very little weaknesses," he adds, "well actually, I don't know any weaknesses of Lewis, he's a super strong driver, always there, super fast, super consistent.

"So for me it is going to be super interesting to be able to actually look at the data and know that whatever he does I can do, because we have the same car.

"Yes, you learn from other drivers," he continues, "but when I look at his data and he is much faster in one corner, you still have the doubt of whether my car is capable of doing what he does, but next year there won't be this question mark anymore. So it will be a huge.

"It will be super interesting for me to learn from Lewis as much as showing what I am capable of in the same car as Lewis. These two things motivate me a lot."

Of course, having the same equipment means your teammate is the perfect benchmark, and therefore, in many ways, your main rival.

"We did know each other quite well and obviously since the Ferrari announcement we have got closer than before," he says, "but still I knew him before and we talked about our passions that we share, like music, and fashion. He is a very creative person just like I am. We don't only speak about racing but also with everything that is around.

"Actually since the announcement with Ferrari we spoke a lot more about our communal passion outside of racing rather than racing itself, because he is still 200% focused on his season with Mercedes and myself on Ferrari.

"But it's cool, we have a very good relationship and I'm sure it will stay that way. I have never had a bad relationship with my teammate and even though I am sure it is going to be a competitive battle, we are here to work for Ferrari and in this there are no doubts.

"He is a huge professional, I have so much respect for him and we already have a really good relationship."