F1 | Lewis Hamilton climbs from 10th to 6th at Monza
Lewis Hamilton recovered from tenth to sixth place in the Italian Grand Prix and expressed satisfaction with his performance, but he emphasized the impossibility of reaching the podium due to the lack of competitiveness of the SF-25.
Ferrari’s limited hopes of securing a podium in front of their home fans rested mainly on Charles Leclerc. For Lewis Hamilton, starting from tenth due to the penalty received at Zandvoort last week, the challenge appeared even steeper.
However, the seven-time world champion delivered a race full of attacking moves and overtakes, eventually finishing in sixth place, just five seconds behind George Russell, who completed the Top 5 in the first Mercedes across the line.
For Lewis Hamilton, completing such a recovery was a relief. Knowing he had a strong pace and ending so close to George Russell provided a significant confidence boost after a complicated period. The summer break had clearly helped, but also the new approach he adopted upon returning, starting from the Dutch Grand Prix.
“I’m really relieved today and very happy with the recovery I managed. I had a great start. I was squeezed between two cars, so I was slowed down, but I was happy with my position through turn 1 and turn 4. After that, I was really close to Russell,” Lewis Hamilton said.
At that point, according to Lewis Hamilton, the team should have attempted an undercut on George Russell and been more aggressive. However, things went differently, and Hamilton never really had a proper opportunity to overtake his former teammate.
“Looking back, we probably should have tried to undercut him at that moment, but focusing on the long game didn’t give the results we hoped for, and I think that’s something to learn from. Still, recovering to sixth place after the penalty and delivering such a solid race today in front of the fans is incredible,” he added.
Ferrari showed some positive signs at Monza, but according to Lewis Hamilton, the team simply does not have the machinery to compete for podiums. Perhaps later in the season, there will be occasional opportunities, but these would be sporadic.
“I don’t think I have the right car to fight for podiums for the rest of the season. I think today Charles gave his maximum, as you know. Max Verstappen was extremely strong, and we don’t have Red Bull’s pace. We don’t even have McLaren’s pace, so I think we’re more or less fourth or fifth,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
“If we manage to do an exceptional job, maybe we can grab a podium here and there. I think there’s definitely a chance at some point, but in terms of pure pace, at the moment, we simply don’t have it.” – the British driver concluded at the end of the Italian Grand Prix.
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