Seven-time Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton, is targeting his first victory for Ferrari at Monza, with the Briton aware that success at the Italian Grand Prix would carry special significance.
Hamilton, who is in his second season with Ferrari, has already won the race at the iconic circuit five times during his career. However, none of those victories came while driving for the Italian outfit.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s race, Hamilton said the prospect of winning at Ferrari’s home circuit had been on his mind, particularly because of the historical significance it could carry.
“Winning in Monza for the first time with Ferrari is something I’ve witnessed Charles [Leclerc] win in 2019, when I was on the podium with him. But to do it while I’m here would be phenomenal.
“And the thought of if I did do that, probably I would be the only black driver to ever do that for Ferrari in Italy probably in history, maybe, and so just like a lot of those thoughts have been through my mind,” Hamilton said.
The 41-year-old claimed his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari in Barcelona in June, strengthening his hopes of mounting a championship challenge.
He currently sits 59 points behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli with 11 rounds still remaining. His prospects at Monza have also received a boost after Antonelli was handed a grid penalty for exceeding his permitted engine-part allocation.
Hamilton admitted he had only recently appreciated how significant another victory at Monza could be, having equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of five wins at the circuit.
“I’ve really thought coming into this weekend, as I pondered, just thinking of the sheer magnitude of the concept that I’m coming to this Grand Prix, I didn’t even know that I had I was equal with Michael [Schumacher] on [five Monza] wins, for example.”
“But the thought that there’s a first ahead of me, in the sense that potentially, if I was to win, you go into new territory.
Despite the motivation, Hamilton acknowledged the expectations surrounding Ferrari at its home race, with thousands of passionate Tifosi expected to fill the circuit.
“The pressure is high. You also want to deliver for the team. There’s all those people at the factory, many of them will get to come to this race, the Tifosi, who come in huge numbers and the passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver for them as well,” he said.
The weekend will also have a personal touch for Hamilton, as his mother is expected to attend the Monza race.
“And my mum’s here this weekend because I don’t think she’s been to Monza, but also particularly on a Ferrari weekend. I wanted her to experience that and you know bring any of the lucky dust she can bring.”
Hamilton cautious over Ferrari engine upgrade
Ferrari’s latest engine upgrade has further raised hopes of a strong showing at Monza after the team used its second permitted opportunity of the season to improve its power unit.
The Italian team has struggled to match Mercedes’ engine performance this season, and Hamilton believes the upgrade should help Ferrari reduce the deficit, although he does not expect it to completely close the gap.
“Every little helps, and 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. That’s a huge deficit and we’ve carried that through the year to this point.
Hamilton also praised Ferrari’s workforce, saying he had noticed a clearer direction within the team compared with his first season.
“What I can say is I’m really proud when I go back to the factory and see how hard everyone is working. They’re really just heads down, and everyone’s so enthusiastic.
“I see a different focus this year to last year. Last year, I felt like there wasn’t really a north star. We were doing the best we could, but not really knowing exactly what we were trying to aim for. Now we have a north star, and we know where we need to work towards,” Hamilton said.
While the new power unit represents progress, Hamilton accepts that Ferrari still has significant ground to cover.
“I think they’ve done a tremendous job to really pull together and deliver. 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 and I strongly still believe that we’ve got what it takes to win,” he concluded.
