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Hamilton Eyes Historic Ferrari Win at Italian Grand Prix in Monza
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, says he is dreaming of making history as potentially the first black driver to win for Ferrari at its home race in Italy.

Hamilton, who is now in his second season with the Scuderia, is targeting his first Monza victory in Ferrari red as the Italian Grand Prix holds this weekend.

Speaking ahead of the race, the British driver admitted he has been reflecting on what a win at Monza would mean.

According to Sky Sports News, Hamilton has already won five times at Monza in his career, matching the record of Michael Schumacher, but he is yet to win there as a Ferrari driver.

“Winning in Monza for the first time with Ferrari is something I’ve witnessed Charles win in 2019, when I was on the podium with him. But to do it while I’m here would be phenomenal,” Hamilton said.[Leclerc]

“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… so just like a lot of those thoughts have been through my mind.”

Hamilton claimed his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari in Barcelona in June, which reignited his championship push. He currently sits 59 points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli with 11 rounds remaining.

His chances at Monza have been boosted by Antonelli’s grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation, as well as Ferrari’s latest power unit upgrade – the team’s second permitted upgrade of the season.

Ferrari has struggled with an engine deficit to Mercedes this season, losing up to four-tenths per lap on some circuits. Hamilton admitted the new upgrade will not close the gap completely, but it is a step in the right direction.

“Every little helps… That’s a huge deficit and we’ve carried that through the year to this point,” he said. “This is a step forward, it’s not the whole gap that we need but we knew that would be the case.”

The 40-year-old also praised the renewed focus within the Ferrari factory.

“What I can say is I’m really proud when I go back to the factory and see how hard everyone is working… I see a different focus this year to last year. Last year, I felt like there wasn’t really a north star. Now we have a north star, and we know where we need to work towards,” he said.

Hamilton also acknowledged the immense pressure of racing for Ferrari in front of the Tifosi, Ferrari’s passionate home fans, who are expected to turn out in huge numbers. He revealed the weekend will be even more special as his mother will be at Monza for the first time to experience a Ferrari weekend.

“The pressure is high. You also want to deliver for the team… the Tifosi, who come in huge numbers and the passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver for them as well,” he added.

SOURCE Punch Newspapers –