Lewis Hamilton finally got to experience the love every Ferrari driver receives when they race in front of the Tifosi for the first time at Monza on Sunday.
The Italian Grand Prix is the most important race on the calendar for Ferrari, with hundreds of thousands of expectant fans hoping to see one of their own standing on the top step of the podium.
Charles Leclerc has won at Monza twice in front of the Tifosi, shocking McLaren last season by nailing a one-stop strategy.
This season, Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were on the back foot once again, particularly as the seven-time world champion arrived with a five-place grid penalty to deal with.
Surprisingly, Hamilton didn’t give Leclerc a tow in qualifying despite knowing about his penalty, and they lined up fourth and 10th, respectively.
RANK DRIVER TEAM POINTS
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 25
2 Lando Norris McLaren 18
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren 15
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 12
5 George Russell Mercedes 10
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 8
7 Alex Albon Williams 6
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber 4
9 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 2
10 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1
Leclerc went into the weekend being compared to Ferrari legend Gilles Villeneuve, and briefly looked like he might finish on the podium after coming out ahead of Oscar Piastri in the opening phase of the race.
That didn’t last sadly, and he finished fourth, while Nico Rosberg praised the change he saw in Hamilton after the race as he made up four places to finish P6.
Martin Brundle was commentating on the race and was keeping a close eye on the seven-time world champion’s progress.
He thinks Hamilton has now come to a realisation about Leclerc, having worked with him more closely this year.
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in qualifying at the 2025 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix
Martin Brundle thinks Lewis Hamilton is coming to terms with how fast Charles Leclerc is
Brundle was reviewing the race for Sky Sports, and when analysing Hamilton’s weekend, he was very positive.
He explained: “Lewis Hamilton was carrying a five-place grid drop for speeding indiscretions going to the grid in Zandvoort, which frankly were a fair cop, and he would start 10th, but once again coming through the pack as he did at Silverstone and other races, we would witness Lewis driving as we remember from years previous.
Position Drivers’ Championship Points
1
Oscar Piastri
324
2
Lando Norris
293
3
Max Verstappen
230
4
George Russell
194
5
Charles Leclerc
163
6
Lewis Hamilton
117
7
Alexander Albon
70
8
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
66
9
Isack Hadjar
38
10
Nico Hulkenberg
37
“All round, he looked more comfortable in the car, and seems to have had a mindset adjustment of making the best of what he has instead of being frustrated that he’s not got a race-winning car underneath him.
“He’s probably also come to terms with just how fast Charles Leclerc is. It was nice to observe Lewis looking happier.”
Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari missed their ‘target’ at the Italian Grand Prix
Ferrari’s mechanics were privately satisfied with Leclerc and Hamilton’s performances, even if the Scuderia have only enjoyed two victories at Monza since 2011.
Team principal Fred Vasseur has been under pressure this season, although he’s now signed a new deal that will see him lead Ferrari into the next era of the sport.
Vasseur explained in his official post-race interview: “Our target for today was to get Charles on the podium, but it was just out of reach.
“He had a strong race, with a good fight at the beginning, but that meant he overworked the tyres a bit at this stage. In the end, we were not so far behind the McLarens, just four seconds, while Max was flying at the front.
Category Lewis Hamilton Charles Leclerc
2025 points 117 163
Grand Prix results* 2 12
Grand Prix qualifying 4 12
Grand Prix wins 0 0
Grand Prix poles 0 1
Grand Prix podiums 0 5
Best finish 4th 2nd
Disqualifications 1 1
Retirements 1 1
Retirements (classified finish) 0 0
Fastest laps 0 0
Grand Prix points finishes 13 13
Sprint results 2 1
Sprint Qualifying 1 2
Sprint wins 1 0
Sprint poles 1 0
Sprint podiums 2 0
The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
*Both Ferrari drivers were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix
“Starting from the middle of the pack because of the penalty, Lewis had a very strong first stint and towards the end, we tried to give him a tyre advantage to get ahead of Russell, but the degradation was too low.
“He had a very good race and I am very pleased for him. We are sorry we could not deliver a better result for our tifosi, who have been amazing all week long.”
Leclerc now sits 46 points above Hamilton in the drivers’ championship, and has delivered all five of Ferrari’s Grand Prix podiums this year.
Hamilton would have been aware of how quick his new teammate was before he joined the team, but as Brundle has suggested, he’s now learning exactly why Sebastian Vettel couldn’t keep up with him earlier in his career.
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