Hamilton aims to be first black driver to win for Ferrari in Italy

Lewis Hamilton says he has been thinking about what it would mean to be the first black Formula 1 driver to win for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix. He is looking for his first win with the team at Monza this weekend.

The seven-time world champion is in his second year with Ferrari. He mentioned that the idea of making history at the team’s home race has been on his mind as the Italian Grand Prix approaches.

Sky Sports News reported on Thursday that Hamilton has won at Monza five times in his career. But none of those wins were while driving for Ferrari.

“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.

Hamilton’s first Grand Prix win with Ferrari came in Barcelona in June. This victory has raised his hopes of competing for the championship in his second season with the Italian team.

Currently, he is behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 59 points with 11 races left. His chances at Monza got better with Antonelli receiving a grid penalty for exceeding his allowed engine parts.

Hamilton shared his thoughts on what another win at Monza could mean for him. He said, “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.

Hamilton also noted the pressure that comes with racing for Ferrari at its home event. Thousands of passionate fans known as the Tifosi are expected to come out and support the team.

“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.

Hamilton’s mother will be at Monza too, which adds a special touch to the weekend.

He said, “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.”

His chances of winning have also improved thanks to Ferrari’s latest engine upgrade. The team confirmed it used its second allowed opportunity of the season to boost its power unit.

Ferrari’s engine problems compared to Mercedes have been a weakness this season. Hamilton said the upgrade could help lessen the gap, but he does not expect it to close completely.

“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.

He praised the hard work of Ferrari’s staff. Hamilton noticed a stronger sense of direction in the team compared to 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.

Hamilton mentioned that the latest upgrade is a step forward, but Ferrari still needs to catch up.

“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.