Leclerc: In 2019 I want to win at Monaco and Monza

At Autosprint's Caschi d'Oro awards ceremony, in Milan, which he attended with team chief Maurizio Arrivabene, Leclerc was asked by reporters if he was feeling the pressure of being a Ferrari F1 driver, he replied, “Pressure? No, I don't feel it, I feel the support rather and must say that I am really happy."

"My goal is obviously to do my best and respect the team’s expectations," added the 21-year-old driver, who when he lines-up on the grid in Melbourne, next year, will be the second youngest driver to don the Red race suit for the Scuderia at the highest level - the 109th driver to have the privilege of doing so.

His arrival at the team also triggers an interesting dynamic within the team, as youngster joins four-times Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, ten years his senior, at the Maranello outfit. How the pair interact together and evolve as teammates will be a noteworthy sideshow.

Nevertheless, this year's outstanding F1 rookie relishes the challenger, "I will have a driver at my side like Sebastian Vettel who will provide important help for me to grow and learn. He is a great guy, as well as a great driver, and I got to know him when I worked on the simulator at Maranello and thanked me for the work I did."

"Going back to my goals for next season: Obviously racing for Ferrari I want to win a couple of grands prix: such as Monaco, my home race, and Monza, I also cannot imagine what it will be like to race in Italy as a Ferrari driver!"

Leclerc signed off from Sauber with seventh place in Abu Dhabi, and a couple of days later was in the cockpit of the Ferrari SF71H at the venue for the final day of 2018 testing. He ended the two-day test fastest of all after his stint on the final day.

Looking back on Yas Marina testing, Leclerc said, "It was unbelievable, the car is amazing to drive. Obviously, we are talking about a test, it makes no sense to talk about absolute performance, but it was an immediate and exceptional good feeling. It was a great privilege and honour, with great emotion."

The late Ricardo Rodriguez still holds the record as the youngest driver to race for the Scuderia, having competed at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix aged 19 years and 208 days. A year and a bit later, the promising Mexcian was killed in an accident during practice for the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix.

When he makes it onto the grid in Melbourne, in March, Leclerc will be the least experienced Ferrari debutant since Gilles Villeneuve – who had just one Grand Prix to his name when Ferrari poached the Canadian from McLaren in 1977.