Lewis Hamilton has vowed to race into uncharted territory and become the first black driver to win the Italian Grand Prix in a Ferrari.
Hamilton delivered an unforgettable entrance for Ferrari’s home race by drawing up to the paddock gates in his new Ferrari F40 on Thursday, wearing a black suit and tie, Kangol cap, brown overcoat, and briefcase.
It was a statement arrival at a venue where the 41-year-old hopes to deliver a statement performance – not just for his hopes of winning an eighth world championship, but securing what would be a famous victory in his Italian team’s backyard.
Hamilton will be boosted by an engine upgrade in his Ferrari, while his championship rival, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, will start at the back of the grid on Sunday. The Italian teenager, who holds a 59-point lead over Hamilton, is being sanctioned for taking on a new engine.
Hamilton has won 105 races across his trophy-laden career, including five triumphs in Monza. But when asked about the prospect of winning his 106th in Ferrari colours at the Temple of Speed, Hamilton, whose mother Brenda will be here to support him this weekend, said: “Coming into this weekend, I’ve really being thinking about the sheer magnitude of this grand prix.
“Firstly, I didn’t know that I was equal with Michael (Schumacher) for wins at Monza, and then there’s the thought of a ‘first’ ahead of me in the sense of potentially winning at Monza for Ferrari and going into new territory. That would be phenomenal.
“If I did do that, I will be the only black driver to have ever done that for Ferrari in Italy, and possibly in history, too. So, a lot of those thoughts have been going through my mind.
“The pressure’s high. I want to deliver for the team. There are all the people at the factory – many of them come to this race – and then there is the Tifosi, who come out in huge numbers, and their passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver for them.
“And my mum’s also here this weekend. She hasn’t been to Monza before, and I wanted her to experience that, particularly now I am at Ferrari, and bring me some lucky dust.”
After a dismal opening year at Ferrari, Hamilton tasted his first win for the Italian giants in Barcelona on June 14, but he has finished on the podium just once across the following five rounds to allow Antonelli to extend his lead.
But Hamilton continued: “When I go back to the factory I see a different focus this year. Last year, I felt like there wasn’t really a North Star. We were doing the best we could, but not really knowing what exactly we were trying to aim for.
“And now we have a North Star. We know we need to work towards. It’s exciting to see that we are pushing and I strongly still believe that we’ve got what it takes to win.
“Though Kimi starts at the back, with the power that he has, and with the performance that Mercedes have, he should slide through that pack pretty easily.
“But for us, we’ve got to focus on maximising our weekend and really try and take the energy from the Tifosi to project us towards the front.”
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