Not so odd when you remember that the Royal Navy's previous generation of carriers (the Invincible class) did exactly the same, and it turned out to be a highly successful partnership. Whether the F35 turns out to be as effective as the Harrier was remains to be seen, however.
The F-35 will be far, far more effective than the Harrier.
Even right now with its faults, it is a better plane. Not even in the ballpark...and the Harrier was a great plane.