‘We still believe’ - Hamilton on Ferrari’s title bid ahead of Italian Grand Prix

Thank you mate. They found out the engine is number 44. It's got stamped on the engine, number 44. I couldn't believe it. I was like, you know, you've got to be lying. And so it feels very much fate. And I thought it was a real opportunity to kind of highlight the history of Ferrari in their home country at their race. And when am I ever going to get to do that again? The team have worked incredibly hard and, you know, we have a lot of challenges that we face. Being a small team, one of them is the turnaround times of our upgrades. And you've seen that, you know, the last big one that we bought was in Canada. So it's sort of home race. Obviously, you know, having Flavio as well in the team, Monza, is special. Having my first winner on here always makes it special, you know, entering the racetrack, the paddock and having a special energy about it. I mean, I haven't really, I haven't actually seen the delivery, but I'm wearing a shirt with seven stars, which is quite fitting because I have seven stars too. So it feels all right. So it feels like it's also mine. To see bits coming each weekend, adding to the car, it's exciting to see that we are pushing. And, you know, I strongly still believe that we've got what it takes to win. It feels very special, definitely a lot different compared to last year. And I'm very much looking forward to this weekend, despite starting from the back. But our car, despite not having any upgrades since Canada, I think it's still a very strong car. I think this track can be good for us. But we still need to take into account that, you know, Ferrari, McLaren, even Red Bull might be quick this weekend. Both teams, both cars to know. So, yeah, they're very different to drive. So it's not the easiest thing going between the two, even just in the simulator. But, yeah, honestly, that's been the biggest challenge. Yeah, without saying too much, it is a very different car to drive. Honestly, the feedback I get through the steering, everything, the way it feels, the way it moves around, it's very different. We have to try and take advantage of the circuits where it's more about the chassis and less about the engine. And we have to keep working on all those things, drivability, you know, development on the chassis side. We're starting to slow down now and focus more on 27. Performance is there. You cannot be on top every single weekend. But it's not that we have been lacking performance with the car or the team. You know, the team has been scoring points in the last four weekends. Two with me and two with Nico now. So it's a good momentum for all of us. Very happy, of course, with the news. Very excited for what's coming and to continue this journey with the team. I have three practices this time, so slowly build up and, yeah, I think just going to do the same, you know. Just enjoy this F1 atmosphere and everything. So, yeah, very looking forward to it. We expect to have a bit of a harder time because, again, it's lots of straight lines. And we know that this is a bit of our weak point compared to our competitors so far. But I'm still optimistic. I mean Silverstone and Spa weren't meant to be positive for us. And we had a good weekend, but by having a perfect execution, we need to target that here. We know we're on the back foot with bringing these upgrades to the car compared to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari. So, you know, they're probably the teams to beat at the moment. But I think this circuit should suit us slightly better than Zandvoort and Hungary. So hoping to, yeah, fight for the win. Just try to have a good weekend. I mean, I know it's already going to be very complex with the energy around here. So just need to try and understand that first. And then we'll just see from there where we are in the packing order. But, yeah, just going off the last few races, I think just need to be realistic. Yeah, I mean, I'm just excited for the whole project, of course. And I'm sure whoever we put in, we believe can win a championship. And we have a lot of interest already from a driver's side and also people who want to work and be part of the team. So I'm excited to see what we can put together.