Lewis Hamilton admitted “it feels different” coming to Monza for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix ahead of his much anticipated to the Ferrari Formula 1 squad.
After an entire career in F1 associated with Mercedes, Hamilton, as per a groundbreaking announcement ahead of the season, revealed he will join Ferrari on a multi-year deal starting in 2025.
Naturally, then, Hamilton was asked questions during the Thursday Italian GP press conference whether he’d experienced a change in his interaction with the Tifosi at ‘The Temple of Speed.’
“I don’t know, it definitely does feel a little bit different,” Hamilton said.
“I mean, it always feels special when you come here.
“There’s always such incredible passion throughout Italy, just in general, but particularly about racing.
“It’s always exciting to see the fans at the end of the weekend, it’s a passionate event, and the excitement that they bring to this race is really not particularly matched in any way.”
With fans yet to descend upon Monza en masse, Hamilton was quizzed on what he thinks the reception will be from the Tifosi throughout the weekend.
Hamilton replied that he didn’t “know what to expect,” but admitted that prior to his signing for Ferrari, he had a consistently warm welcome from the Italian fans.
“If I’m honest, the last couple of years, I mean, over the last few years, I’ve had a really warm welcome, a really good time, it was one time when we were really fighting against Ferrari, a couple of points, but even then, people were positive, there was no negativity,” he said.
The seven-time world Champion revealed that over the year Ferrari fans have asked him to join the Scuderia and given he has now granted their wish, he said “it will be interesting to see how that is [in Monza] this year.
“But already in Imola for example, I’ve got a really good warm reception.”
One man who knows full well what it’s like to experience Monza as a Ferrari driver is Charles Leclerc and he was able to provide insight for what Hamilton could expect as his team-mate next term.
“It’s definitely a very, very special to be driving for Ferrari in Monza, in Italy,” Leclerc said.
“There’s something that is iconic, and yeah, it’s such a special feeling, the amount of support we have.
“We obviously have it everywhere in the world, but whenever we are in Italy, it’s extra special.
“It’s difficult to get in and out of the hotel every morning and every evening, but it’s a very special feeling and a lot of support, so it’s motivating us at the maximum.
“We’ll be experiencing that next year, we’ll experience that together, and I’m sure it will be a special year.”
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