Lewis makes his debut at Monza as a Ferrari driver: “The five positions down the grid make me even more eager to fight. Every time here is an incredible experience.”

Lewis Hamilton will race his first Monza Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver this weekend. However, the seven-time world champion’s weekend will get off to a difficult start due to a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect the yellow flag during the reconnaissance laps at Zandvoort. Here’s what the Ferrari driver had to say about it: “I don’t know what the other drivers think… When I landed, I saw that I had been penalized and I was really shocked. It’s not a black-and-white situation, because if you look at the stewards’ report, I lifted off the throttle, but unfortunately not enough in their eyes. I think the penalty and the deduction of points from my license are a bit harsh. This weekend will be a challenge because we are all very close in qualifying. Getting into Q3 is tough, and getting into the top 5 is even tougher. Receiving a 5-place penalty is not great when you have to race the first GP at Monza with Ferrari. However, this makes me even more determined to fight. I want to make up these positions.“ The penalty effectively prevents Hamilton from taking pole position, which some believe could lead the team to ask the Englishman to give Leclerc a slipstream in Q3: ”Years ago, Ferrari used to do that. Kimi and Felipe (Raikkonen and Massa, ed.) did it often. Obviously, it can be beneficial, but I’ve always thought it was risky because it can lead to the sacrifice of a driver. I’m not sure if the team wants to do it this weekend; we haven’t discussed it. However, if it would help Charles to take pole position, I would be willing to do it, even if I had the pace to take it myself.”

These are the British driver’s words on Ferrari’s potential pace at their home weekend: “Every weekend is new for me with this car, and the approach is different from my previous experiences at these circuits. So far, it’s been like a roller coaster ride for me. Ferrari has generally always done well here. Last year, it won with a great strategy and a great performance from Charles. I’m curious to see how the car will perform here. We are definitely learning from weekend to weekend. There were a lot of positives last weekend, we need to build on that.” This is Hamilton’s thoughts on the weekend at Zandvoort, which ended with a double retirement for the Prancing Horse: “Our approach in Holland was good, and I think it was one of our most competitive weekends, right up until Sunday. Sunday was disappointing, and we didn’t get the result we wanted. I made an unusual mistake, but the positive thing is that the team remained optimistic. They give me great support every weekend, and even when you’re not feeling your best, they lift your spirits. In the days that followed, we tried to understand what had happened because it wasn’t a lack of concentration on my part. There were many factors that contributed to the mistake: we had a small problem shifting gears, which led to the lockup. I also went a little wider than on the previous lap… In any case, I learned from the mistake and, in general, I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

passione ferrari—  Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were greeted by a crowd in Milan: “Yesterday was a truly unique experience, starting in the morning when I arrived in Maranello. When you walk in there and see the Ferrari logo… it’s something unique. There are always fans outside the factory, which is something I’ve never seen in all my years in Formula 1. There is so much love for this brand, for what it represents. Then being in Milan, in the heart of the city, and seeing how much passion there was from the fans was really intense. So much positive energy that I tried to store up.“ The seven-time world champion has been on the podium many times at the Autodromo and hopes to return dressed in red: ”I’ve already been on the podium at Monza, so I know what it means. I never imagined what it would be like to be there as a Ferrari driver: I think that any feeling I can try to imagine is still far from what I would actually feel. Every time you come here, regardless of which team you race for, it’s an incredible experience. Being in this park, this historic circuit, and seeing all the fans on the straight is unique. Even in the final parade lap, the fans are so close that you can almost feel them in the car with you.”