With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)

The British F1 star has been taking Italian lessons, has his motorhome parked next to Enzo Ferrari’s house and is immersing himself in the culture of the Scuderia as he eyes a record-breaking eighth title this year.

The countdown continues to the start of the new Formula One season and one driver who has his eyes set on the prize of World champion is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Season by season the the 27-year-old has inched closer and closer to fulfilling his childhood dream but never quite getting over the line and taking the chequered flag.

Formula One could be racing towards a far noisier future after the sport's governing body triggered talk of a return to roaring V10 engines, this time powered by fully sustainable fuel. Grand prix cars have been powered by 1.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem thinks Formula 1 should at least consider switching back to V10 engines in the future, running on sustainable fuel. F1 is switching to fully synthetic fuel from next year as part of its change in engine formula,