The first half of the season for Lewis Hamilton turned out to be more difficult than expected, but at Monza he showed the first signs of a “revival.” Despite receiving a penalty at the Dutch Grand Prix that forced him to start from tenth place in Italy, Lewis managed to secure a solid sixth-place finish, driven by the energy of the Ferrari tifosi.
According to Martin Brundle, Sky Sports pundit, the British driver has started to focus on making the most of what he has instead of complaining about what does not work. This new approach to race weekends is putting him back on the right path to becoming competitive again.
Brundle sees Hamilton happier after Monza
The seven-time world champion appeared more lively, inspired by the sea of devoted Ferrari fans at their home race. For Hamilton, his debut season with Ferrari has been far from easy. Apart from his sprint race win at the Chinese Grand Prix in March, moments of joy have been rare, as he has struggled to adapt both to the car and to the team. The low point came at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break, where the Briton described himself as “useless” after a disastrous qualifying result.
However, things improved after the break. Hamilton left Zandvoort at the end of August with a positive mindset, despite his mistake in the race. His attitude was even more upbeat at Monza, where he fed off the energy of tens of thousands of fans cheering for Ferrari and its drivers. This support helped him recover from the five-place grid penalty he had picked up in Zandvoort, climbing from tenth on the grid to finish sixth.
Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle believes Hamilton has experienced a “shift in mindset” in recent weeks that has allowed him to start enjoying racing again. He wrote in his column:
“Lewis Hamilton took a five-place grid penalty for ignoring double yellow flags at Zandvoort, which frankly was deserved, and so he started from tenth. But once again, fighting through the pack like we saw at Silverstone and in other races, we witnessed Lewis driving as we remembered him in previous years. Overall, he seemed more comfortable in the car and appears to have changed his mentality, trying to get the best from what he has rather than being frustrated about not having a winning car underneath him. He has also probably realized just how quick Charles Leclerc is. It was great to see Lewis looking happier.”
Although Hamilton seems to have gained a new perspective on his current situation, he still has a long road ahead to fully adapt to his Ferrari. Even at Monza, he admitted that driving with the style required to extract the most from his car still feels “unnatural.”
The British driver explained:
“I think for me it’s clear that yes, I’ve been driving this car all year, but in previous years I was part of a car that was developing over time. You get comfortable and you know the driving style inside out. This year, I arrive at the circuit and have to apply this new driving style that still feels foreign to me. It doesn’t feel natural. Race after race I am improving and getting faster, and with that I am gaining more and more confidence.”
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