Charles Leclerc says he doubts his comparative youth against Lewis Hamilton will affect the outcome of their battle this year.

Leclerc turns 28 towards the end of the F1 2028 season, with the Monegasque driver being over 12 years younger than his new teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc: Lewis Hamilton is in extremely good shape

With Hamilton arriving at Ferrari chasing a record-breaking eighth world title, he will square up against his highly-rated but comparatively unsuccessful teammate Charles Leclerc – a driver many regard as a World Champion in waiting.

The history books are stacked against Hamilton who, having recently turned 40, will be chasing after Sir Jack Brabham’s 59-year-old record of being the last driver in their forties to win the Drivers’ Championship.

Over a 24-race calendar, a grueling championship fight could, in theory, play into the hands of a younger athlete, but Leclerc doubts the age difference between himself and Hamilton will have any effect on the outcome of their intra-team battle.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s like to be 12 years older!” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, when asked whether he believes his youth may be an advantage towards the end of a physically exhausting calendar.

“So it’s difficult to judge. But I mean, honestly, what I’ve seen from Lewis is in extremely good shape, so I don’t think that plays a part in it at all.

“I think he’s also extremely motivated to be starting this new adventure in his career, so I don’t think age will have to do anything with what we’ll see on the track.”

While the duo are getting along well at present, the facts are that, in order to win his record title, Hamilton will have to defeat Leclerc – a long-time member and beloved protege of the Ferrari outfit. Or, in order for Leclerc to win his maiden title, he will have to hold firm against the weight of experience and speed Hamilton represents.

The Monegasque believes he and Hamilton will thus elevate each other to greater heights as their time as teammates matures.

“Yes, it’s always the case a teammate makes you always push, you always push the other side of the garage to raise his game,” he said.

“I’ve always had strong teammates in my career, and these are the very first reference – you always push yourself to match things that they do better than you, and that elevates not only the drivers, but also the team because everybody is being pushed forward.

“So I really think that it will help everyone.”

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With Hamilton arriving at Maranello for the first time as a Ferrari driver last month, Leclerc said he was on hand to greet the seven-time F1 World Champion, and revealed that he and Hamilton have discovered something similar about each other.

“He was super excited. He was extremely excited, but it was also the first day for me to be back in the factory, and it’s always an exciting moment,” he said.

“So we were both excited, but for him, it was obviously very, very, very special. He was super excited that he was going to try also the car in the simulator, and we started to discuss a little bit about my initial feelings.

“Something I noticed is we have a very similar driving style, which is a really good thing because I’m pretty sure we will need similar things from the car.

“At least, this is my initial feeling. It’s still to be confirmed because we haven’t driven that much together, but the little I’ve seen is that we tend to drive quite similarly.

“The things we’ll do differently are probably the dress code!

“We dress very, very differently, but to each their own way of expressing themselves in fashion. Obviously, Lewis is super involved and I’m a bit less involved in that. Maybe in that, we are different!”

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