Lewis Hamilton flexes on F1 rivals ahead of first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton is about to get his first taste of the Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver.
Lewis Hamilton took the opportunity to flex on his F1 rivals ahead of his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver. The veteran Brit will be desperately hoping for a strong weekend at Monza, having failed to score points in his last two races. He suffered a nightmare weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, crashing out of the race after losing grip on the slippery surface.
It has been a difficult season for Hamilton, who has failed to register his first Ferrari podium after 15 attempts. However, he will be hoping to delight the Tifosi by achieving that milestone at Monza. It has been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton over the years, with the 40-year-old securing five victories at the iconic circuit.
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He also holds the record for the fastest lap at Monza, a fact he pointed out on social media before taking to the track on Friday.
Hamilton recently signed an endorsement deal with Perplexity, a search engine powered by AI. He used the service to flex on his rivals ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, asking on X (formerly Twitter): "What’s the fastest lap at Monza? @AskPerplexity."
The response was: "The fastest official lap at Monza in Formula One is 1:18.887 set by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, which is also the record for the fastest average lap speed in F1 history."
Hamilton will be hunting his first Monza victory since 2018 this weekend but will be up against it from the start, having been handed a five-place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement during the Dutch Grand Prix.
He was caught going too fast under double-waved yellow flags on a reconnaissance lap before the race, leaving the stewards with little choice but to hand down a punishment.
"I was surprised when I heard about the penalty, but it is what it is," said Hamilton. "I have to live with it. I landed back home and saw I got this penalty and I was really shocked, to be honest.
"It's not black and white. I did lift, but to their liking, not enough. To get the penalty and penalty points is pretty hardcore, but I'll learn from it.
"It will be hard this weekend. Qualifying is tight, and to be set back five places is not great going into your first Monza race with Ferrari. It gives me more to fight for and makes me motivated."
Charles Leclerc will also be looking to bounce back after he was taken out of the Dutch Grand Prix by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. It saw Ferrari leave the circuit without any points, given that neither of their cars finished the race.
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