Hamilton is eager to give the Tifosi a home win: “The passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver”
- Bo Helmus
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Bo Helmus
With the Italian Grand Prix around the corner, Ferrari are preparing for their home race. The Tifosi are everywhere, cheering for the scuderia, and Lewis Hamilton is loving the atmosphere they bring to the track.
“I mean, it’s the best feeling to be a Ferrari driver. It’s such an honour and a privilege to arrive in Italy at this iconic race with the most iconic and best team in the world. It’s really phenomenal to experience it for the second year in a row, and it still feels new, so it’s not something you can get used to.”
Challenging times
Hamilton would, without doubt, be very happy to give the fans a win here in Italy, but what are their chances? The prancing horses have been regular contenders for the podium, but surely they must feel somewhat disappointed to see McLaren adapt to the new regulations much better.
The Ferraris were bringing the challenge to the dominant Mercedes at the beginning of the season, but now that the silver arrows have suffered some reliability-issues, the Ferraris aren’t picking up the points like everyone expected them to do. They have had to watch McLaren take the victory at the last two outings.
Upgrades
To improve Hamilton’s chances, the team has brought an engine upgrade to Monza. “Every little helps,” the Brit says, but he isn’t too optimistic: “I think up until this point of the year we’ve been losing. Even in the last race, on such a short circuit, we were losing four tenths a lap through the race, so that’s a huge deficit and we’ve carried that through the year to this point.”
On a short, quick track like Monza, you definitely don’t want a disadvantage like that. If your pace isn’t good enough, there is no sugarcoating it. Luckily, Hamilton hasn’t given up hope just yet: “What I can say is I really, really am proud of when I go back to the factory and I see how hard everyone is working, that they’re really just heads down. Everyone’s so enthusiastic.”
Team work makes the dream work
The seven-time world champion notices that the vibe in the team is much better than last time around: “I see a different focus this year to last year. Last year I felt like there wasn’t really a North Star, and we were kind of... I think doing the best we could, but not really knowing where exactly we were trying to aim for. Now we have a North Star, we know where we need to work towards, and I think they’ve done a tremendous job to really pull together and deliver.”
The hard work has resulted in an upgrade, and the Brit is happy that the car is improving: “This is a step forward. It’s not the whole gap that we need, but we knew that would be the case. But to see bits coming each weekend, adding to the car, it’s exciting to see that we are pushing. I strongly still believe that we’ve got what it takes to win.”
Delivering for the fans
However, that win won’t come too easily: “At this level, how close it is up front… I think for us to win this weekend, and in any weekend, it takes the whole collective to come together. It’s not just one thing; everything has to flow from the beginning.”
This is not just any race, it is the most incredible race of the year for Ferrari and the fans: “The pressure’s high. You want to deliver for the team. There’s all those people that are at the factory, and many of them will come to this race. The Tifosi come out in huge numbers, the passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver for them as well.”
To manifest the win, Hamilton has brought a lucky charm: “My mum’s here this weekend. She’s never experienced… I don’t think she’s been to Monza, but also particularly on a Ferrari weekend, and I wanted her to experience that and bring any of the lucky dust she can bring.”
Comments