How did fans and media react?

The Italian press are some of the most revered figures in the Formula 1 paddock. For decades their opinions have held sway and dictated the outcome of many debates. Ferrari itself is steeped in passion and enthusiasm; the Scuderia is a national icon.

Now, with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at the country’s most famous sporting team, what has been the reaction of the press and the fans?

Here we ask the writers at Motorsport.com Italy for their take on Hamilton’s first few weeks as a Ferrari driver. What has impressed them most? How he has been received by the public? Will he come under scrutiny from the Italian media as he tries to lead Ferrari back to world championship glory?

Contributors: Roberto Chinchero, Franco Nugnes, Giacomo Rauli, Gianluca d’Alessandro

How did the Italian public react to Hamilton joining the team?

Roberto Chinchero: I don’t remember anything like this in the past. Ferrari is used to – if not spoiled by – champions joining the team. We saw Fernando Alonso come in, Sebastian Vettel. And Michael Schumacher before that. And he became a legend with Ferrari. The difference with Lewis is that he’s already a legend, and he’s coming to marry another legend.

And the reaction of the fans has been extraordinary. The day he drove the new car at Fiorano for the first time, there were 7,000 people there to witness it, and that has never happened before. It’s a track with no grandstands, it was a Wednesday, it was during working hours, it was really cold – and yet people started arriving at 5am to get a better spot. That tells you something.

Franco Nugnes: Formula 1 had long disappeared from the news and the front pages, but now it’s very much back to the way it was with Gilles Villeneuve in the early ’80s. Hamilton has managed to win over the fans, but also the staff at Ferrari. They now hang on his every word.

And that is no surprise: Lewis was already highly respected as a seven-time F1 world champion, although until last year he was seen by many as a possible “usurper” of Michael Schumacher’s records. Now that he has arrived in Maranello, however, the perspective has completely changed: he is seen as the man who will bring the Prancing Horse back to glory and continue the Kaiser’s work.

Gianluca d’Alessandro: He has brought back a lot of excitement, not only from the fans but also from the mainstream media, partly because his move also showed that a driver of such calibre wanted to accept the Ferrari challenge, live the dream and win with it, after so many years in which other champions hadn’t achieved the title.

Nobody in Italy thought it would happen before the end of his career. We thought he’d end his F1 story with Mercedes, but instead he’s coming to Maranello. And he’s happy, he’s excited, and that translates to the fans because they feel they’re sharing the same dream with Lewis: to see him win with Ferrari. They feel that Lewis is coming to Maranello because he wants to make history.

Photo by: Ferrari

Have you been particularly impressed by his attitude?

Roberto Chinchero: The first day he arrived at Maranello, he was there with his parents. You don’t do that unless it means something very special to you. You want to share those moments with those closest ones, and we saw that Anthony was there, Lewis’ mum was filming him with her phone. She was there when he went out to meet the fans. That says a lot. Not just for Lewis, but for the Italian fans. They see how passionate he is, and it resonates. Because he is a seven-time world champion. He doesn’t have to do all these things. But you can see how much of a dream it is for him.

For me, there were four drivers at the F175 who looked the most excited and flattered to be there: Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Lewis Hamilton. It’s almost like he’s experiencing a rookie level of excitement. And I don’t think Lewis is that good of an actor. It looks like that’s how he really feels. He’s been lucky enough to achieve a lot of his dreams in F1, but now he’s living another one.

Franco Nugnes: Hamilton’s communication skills are extraordinary: in the space of a few days he has become the centre of attention in the Ferrari world. He went to the most remote corners of the racing department, shaking hands and signing autographs, dragging John Elkann to places the president had never been before. He also immediately introduced himself to the Italian fans, showing a genuine desire for dialogue.

What he must remember in the long run, however, is that Maranello has never liked those who threaten to overshadow the Ferrari legend.

Giacomo Rauli: I personally don’t think there’s any reason to be particularly impressed with his appearance and attitude, because Lewis is a seven-time world champion, he has been in F1 since 2007. He knows how important it is to get the team on his side and to be accepted by the fans. He’s a smart guy. He’ll be sharing a garage with Charles, who not only has been a Ferrari driver since 2019, but was also part of the Academy. And if he wants to lead the team, that’s the only way to do it.

Photo by: Ferrari

How quickly will he adapt to working with a team that is not based in England?

Roberto Chinchero: When we talk about the team structure, I don’t think there’s much that’s different from other teams. Because the way they work now is very similar. And even the people: yes, it is an Italian team, but the staff is from all over the world. There are plenty of British, German and French people at Ferrari.

What might be different is that at Ferrari you’re a lot more in the spotlight and the pressure is somewhat greater. But I think it will be more of a challenge for Leclerc. Because Lewis came to Ferrari to finish his career in F1, and Charles has to prove that he is the future.

Giacomo Rauli: I don’t think it’s a big problem for Lewis because, yes, he’s a British driver, but he’s, shall we say, a man of the world. He lives in Monte Carlo, he travels, he’s experienced different cultures. On the contrary, I’m pretty sure he’ll enjoy the team and the environment.

Gianluca d’Alessandro: While there may be some differences between the British teams and an Italian one, the way of working nowadays is very similar, if not identical. What Lewis will have to get used to is the people – and I don’t think it will be very different from what he experienced when he moved from McLaren to Mercedes. He won’t have Bono [Peter Bonnington, his former race engineer at Mercedes], who understood him perfectly, by his side. He’ll have to build a relationship with Riccardo Adami and all the other people around him – and that can take time.

Photo by: Ferrari

Will the Italian media put extra pressure on him to lead the team?

Franco Nugnes: At the beginning, I think Hamilton will be forgiven a lot because he will be treated like the saviour of a team that has not won the world championship for 18 years. The team and the love of the fans will make it easier for him to feel like a Ferrari man.

Roberto Chinchero: Everything is fantastic at the moment. He is respected by the Italian media, and they appreciate the way he has introduced himself to the Italian public and the Italian fans. The fact that he tries to speak Italian, even if his vocabulary is only a few hundred words at the moment, is also appreciated.

Last year, not everyone understood why Carlos Sainz was let go, but even he accepted that he wasn’t going to be replaced by some random driver. It’s Lewis Hamilton he’s giving his seat to. I think what was harder for Carlos to accept wasn’t that Hamilton was going to replace him at Ferrari – it was that three other top teams had vacancies and didn’t call him.

But I think everyone now accepts, including the Italian media, that Hamilton and Ferrari is something special. What happens next will be much more about the stopwatch. But the first chapter of this story – the one without engine noise – was perfect.

Gianluca d’Alessandro: I think we can all agree that the media is a big part of the challenge of being a Ferrari driver. Because in Italy there’s Ferrari and there’s other teams. People grow up and get attached to the sport because of Ferrari, and even when they start to realise that there is something else beyond Ferrari in F1, it remains special. And the attention it gets is almost like a national football team. So the pressure is much higher. But I think he knows how to deal with the media, and I am sure Ferrari will do everything to protect him as much as possible.

And I would agree that it’s Leclerc who might feel the most pressure from the outside. Yes, Lewis has come to make history with Ferrari, but he’s already a legend in the sport. Charles is one of the best drivers on the grid, he loves Ferrari dearly and, after so many years of high hopes, he wants to be the driver who brings the title back to Maranello. But if Charles is beaten by Lewis, where does that leave him, even if he still has a long-term contract? Where does that leave Ferrari for the future? So he too has a huge challenge ahead of him.

Photo by: Ferrari