Lewis Hamilton has described his first Italian Grand Prix with Ferrari as an "emotional rollercoaster", as the seven-time world champion was greeted by ecstatic tifosi in Milan before the race weekend.
The welcome Ferrari drivers receive at their home race in Monza is unparalleled in Formula One, and Hamilton experienced it first-hand when fans gathered in vast numbers at the Piazzetta Reale to greet him and teammate Charles Leclerc. The pair took more than five minutes to walk just 30 metres, stopping repeatedly for autographs, before climbing onto a balcony to address the crowd.
The team will run a special livery at Monza, paying tribute to Niki Lauda’s 1975 championship with Ferrari. Both drivers wore blue shirts as part of the tribute, with the cars featuring the 1975 shades of red, a white engine cover and a silver rear wing. Hamilton, who worked closely with Lauda at Mercedes, said the tribute was "really cool" and that he often thinks about what the late Austrian would say to him.
"I know right now what he would be saying to me nowadays and it’s always in the back of my mind," Hamilton said. "When I didn’t do well he would always say 'give them hell', but he would always say the word 'arseholes'."
Hamilton admitted that joining Ferrari has involved a significant adjustment for both himself and the team. "There are cultural differences," he said, noting that team principal Fred Vasseur had acknowledged they may have underestimated the challenges of the partnership. Despite a difficult season with the car, Hamilton remains upbeat about living his dream with the Scuderia.
Hamilton will take a five-place grid penalty at Monza following an infringement in Zandvoort, but the tifosi remain hopeful of a strong result after last year’s unlikely victory for Leclerc.
