Ferrari racer Lewis Hamilton settled for P6 at the Italian GP after starting the race in P10. The British racer came out of the race at Monza and said it was the best that Scuderia could have achieved at their home race, as he reflected on the pace of the opponents.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were 1-2 at the end of the FP1 session at Monza. Monegasque continued his strong practice 1 form, and finished the FP2 and FP3 in P2. However, in the quali, Max Verstappen and both the McLarens were in a league of their own and managed to seal the Top 3 spots.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified P4 and P5 respectively, with the seven-time F1 champion carrying a 5 place grid drop, and lining up P10 on the track. Leclerc settled in P4, whereas Hamilton made a good jump in the first half and was running behind George Russell.
Ferrari could have left Russell behind but missed that chance, and Hamilton finished P6 behind his former teammate. Responding on the same, Hamilton spoke with media after the race and said,
“I’m sure we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens and the Red Bulls. But I definitely think Charles and I, if we were together, we could have had a strong race in perhaps keeping up with, maybe trying to keep up more with the guys further ahead. I really don’t know. I just think they were just too fast, the guys further ahead, but I definitely think we would have been fifth, fourth.”
With McLaren already running away with the championship, Mercedes is Ferrari's key competitor in the title this season as the two heavyweights compete for the runner-up place. With Kimi Antonelli finishing the ITalian GP in P9 and Russell in P5, Ferrari increased their lead over the Silver Arrows.
Lewis Hamilton responds on the 'unbelievable' support from the Tifosi at the Italian GP
Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari ahead of the 2025 F1 season. This year's Italian GP was the seven-time champion's first race at Ferrari's home. The British racer was overwhelmed with the support from the Tifosi at Monza, and said the same after the race. He said,
“It’s everything you could ever hope for. Of course, you want to be fighting at the front but it’s unbelievable to just be on the receiving end. It’s Ferrari all the way around the track. You see the pit straight now – it’s as far as the eye can see. It’s a dream to drive for this team, and I’m really just going to work as hard as I can to one day stand on the top of that podium. That’s my dream.”
Although Lewis Hamilton's performance was not the best, he still has to achieve the podium finish. The seven-time champion was happier with the SF 25 this weekend compared to the struggles of the last few race weekends.