FERRARI supporters have expressed widespread disappointment over Lewis Hamilton’s challenging first season with Formula One’s most iconic team.
The Scuderia’s passionate local fanbase arrives at Monza this weekend with diminished expectations amid McLaren’s current dominance.
Red remained the predominant colour around the circuit on Friday as fans discussed Ferrari’s modest four podium finishes this season.
Nineteen-year-old Luca Spagnoli acknowledged his admiration for Hamilton as a driver while expressing disappointment with current performances.
Hamilton trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 200 points and sits 42 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Spagnoli noted his particular disappointment that Hamilton has been outperformed by Leclerc in nearly every race this season.
The seven-time world champion crashed out of last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix and suggested Ferrari replace him during the Hungarian GP.
Hamilton described his first year with Ferrari as an emotional rollercoaster ahead of Sunday’s high-speed Monza race.
His best result remains a Sprint race victory in China, offering scant reward for fans who celebrated his high-profile move from Mercedes.
Forty-one-year-old Anna Rinaldi recalled stopping a work meeting in Milan to announce Hamilton’s signing as a historic day for Italy.
Hamilton faces additional challenges at Monza with a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags in Holland.
Massimo Pilotto, president of a 140-member Ferrari fan club, lamented that Formula One has become a sport focused on image.
Pilotto maintains support for Hamilton despite acknowledging the driver’s apparent discomfort after twelve years at Mercedes.
Seventy-four-year-old Antonio Muzio believes signing Hamilton was a mistake that will lead to a sad career conclusion.
Muzio would have preferred Ferrari sign a young driver like Kimi Antonelli rather than the experienced champion.
He concluded that Ferrari’s fundamental problem remains car performance, with no championship won in seventeen years. – AFP