This weekend, Formula 1 heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton preparing for his second home race as a Ferrari driver. The Scuderia arrives with an upgraded engine and a special tribute to Michael Schumacher. Mercedes’ local hero, Kimi Antonelli, heads into his home race as the championship leader.
During Thursday’s press conference, Lewis Hamilton said that being a Ferrari driver is something truly special.
“For the second year in a row, I can return to Monza as a Ferrari driver, and I’m very grateful for that.”
“This weekend, we are paying tribute to Schumacher, with a special livery on our car and special designs on our racewear. What Schumacher achieved at Ferrari was absolutely incredible.”
Hamilton mentioned that Ferrari has arrived at the weekend with an upgraded engine. So far, they have been around four tenths of a second off per lap over the race distance, so he is curious to see how much progress Ferrari can make this time.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli said:
“The contrast compared to last year is huge: this time, I arrived in Monza leading the World Championship.”
“Although I will be starting from the back of the grid due to a new power unit, I’m really looking forward to the weekend. I think it’s a circuit that could suit us very well. But we’ve seen how strong McLaren is and how strong they have been in the past two races. Ferrari is going to be certainly on top, especially with the new engine.”
“For my home race, I have prepared a special helmet design, which I will unveil on Thursday evening.”
