Hamilton Ready For ‘huge Pressure’ At Ferrari’s Home Gp After Crashing Out At Zandvoort

Lewis Hamilton has admitted nan unit is connected arsenic he prepares to make his debut arsenic a Ferrari driver astatine nan team’s location title successful nan Italian Grand Prix this weekend, having unceremoniously collapsed retired of nan Dutch GP connected Sunday aft an unforced error.

The seven-time world champion suffered an different exit astatine Zandvoort arsenic he went wide connected nan painted aboveground extracurricular move three, made slippery by ray rain. He mislaid nan rear and could not clasp nan car which slid into nan barriers, ending his race.

It was acold from nan caller commencement aft nan summertime break nan British driver had hoped for aft he has endured a difficult debut twelvemonth pinch Ferrari. The car has been disconnected nan gait and adapting to a caller squad has proved difficult for Hamilton, arsenic he admitted aft his exit astatine Zandvoort.

“There’s evidently a immense magnitude of unit connected america arsenic a team, much truthful for maine now,” he said. “I haven’t had a bully season. Next week, we’ll conscionable effort to sorb each nan power from nan fans.”

He did support that he remained assured and felt nan play successful nan Netherlands had been a measurement guardant for him and nan squad aft he had been near disenchanted aft a bid of mediocre results earlier F1’s summertime break.

Lewis Hamilton said aft nan Dutch GP that ‘we’ll conscionable effort to sorb each nan power from nan fans’ astatine Ferrari’s location title adjacent Sunday. Photograph: Marcel van Dorst/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock

“I’m fine, I consciousness good mentally, I’ve felt tons of positives,” he said. “I felt I was making progress, I was catching nan car ahead. It’s reliable to person a consequence for illustration that but I’ve been racing for truthful agelong I’ve had deity knows really galore races and you tin astir apt count connected 1 manus that benignant of incident.”

However he already faces a setback for Monza, pinch a five-place grid punishment for nan title imposed for failing to slow sufficiently for yellowish flags connected his reconnaissance thigh to nan grid earlier Sunday’s race.

The Ferrari squad principal, Fred Vasseur, maintained his driver was still emotion optimistic. “We discussed aft nan title – he was overmuch much affirmative than nan past 4 aliases 5 events,” Vasseur said. “For sure, he mislaid nan car but nan temper was positive, because I deliberation he tin return a batch of positives from nan play and build up nan assurance for Monza.

A difficult play for Ferrari, who are successful a tight conflict pinch Mercedes for 2nd spot successful nan title – nan Italian squad are conscionable 12 points up of 3rd – was compounded erstwhile Charles Leclerc fought pinch Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, and nan Monegasque driver spun into nan barriers, ending his race. Antonelli had been going up nan wrong arsenic Leclerc was connected nan racing statement erstwhile they clipped wheels connected thigh 53 and for which nan Italian was fixed a 10-second penalty.

Hamilton had said earlier nan play he wanted to commencement to effort and bask driving for Ferrari aft a trying clip and each nan scrutiny astir his move to nan Scuderia. Vasseur insisted that he felt his squad was connected people to perchance bring a grin to nan driver’s face.

“To bask it, it’s mostly a matter of results, confidence, gait and nan truth that you are successful nan game,” he said connected Sunday. “I think, honestly, coming is why Lewis had nan cognition that coming was overmuch better, moreover if nan result is not.”

After nan title successful Zandvoort, nan Mercedes squad main Toto Wolff besides confirmed George Russell would stay pinch nan squad for 2026, alongside Antonelli, although nan British driver’s statement has yet to beryllium signed.

“I ever opportunity there’s not going to beryllium immoderate large news because we’re doing this. We’re continuing pinch some of them, of course,” he said.

With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen having already confirmed he would stay pinch nan squad for 2026 location was small uncertainty Mercedes would instrumentality pinch Russell, though nan last specifications of his statement and its magnitude stay to beryllium confirmed.