Lewis Hamilton Says Ferrari ‘Have the Car to Fight’ for a Home Win at Monza After Second Engine Upgrade

• Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari finally “have the car to fight” for victory at Monza after a difficult first visit to the track in red last year
• Ferrari will run a second power unit upgrade of the season for Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at their home race under the FIA’s new development rules
• Hamilton and Leclerc drew a huge reception from the Tifosi at a fan event in Milan on Wednesday evening

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari finally have the machinery to challenge for victory at Monza, a year on from a first visit to the Temple of Speed in red that brought only a sixth-place finish.

Speaking at a House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% event in front of the Tifosi in central Milan on Wednesday evening, Hamilton drew a direct contrast between this year’s prospects and 2025, when Ferrari finished the Italian Grand Prix in fourth and sixth. “It’s always exciting in Monza. It’s the fastest race we get to go to,” he said. “Last year we didn’t have the car to fight. I think this year we have the car to fight.”

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A First Ferrari Win Behind Him

Hamilton arrives at Monza in search of a second win for Ferrari after breaking his drought with the team at June’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. “Barcelona was amazing, the support from everybody,” he said. “But I hope this weekend we can fight for the win.”

His only previous appearance at Monza in Ferrari colours came last year, in what he has described as a difficult first campaign at the team after his move from Mercedes. He shares the record for the most Italian Grand Prix wins in history, five, with Michael Schumacher, though every one of those victories came for other teams.

Tifosi Turn Out in Milan

Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc were given a big reception when they appeared before fans at the Palazzo Reale on Wednesday evening. “It’s amazing to be here. This is the second year and to see you all here is incredible,” Hamilton said. “To see you all here is overwhelming. I love the Tifosi.”

Monza is regarded as Ferrari’s home race, and the team is chasing a stronger showing than last year in front of the supporters who packed the Milan venue two days before track action begins.

A Second Engine Upgrade Under New Rules

Alongside Hamilton’s comments, Ferrari confirmed both cars will run an updated power unit this weekend, the team’s second upgrade of the season. Formula 1’s 2026 engine regulations allow manufacturers to introduce upgrades if they fall behind on internal combustion engine performance, and Ferrari were judged to be more than four per cent off benchmark manufacturer Red Bull after the first of the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities reviews.

Ferrari fitted their first upgrade at June’s Austrian Grand Prix, and the Monza version will put Hamilton and Leclerc on their fourth power unit of the season, the last they can use before facing grid penalties for exceeding their allocation.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur described the update as incremental progress rather than a step change. “On the performance side, we are introducing an updated power unit as part of the development opportunities available under ADUO,” he said. “It represents a step in the right direction and as we know this year is very much about marginal gains. Monza is a demanding circuit and the field is extremely close, and our priority will be to execute every aspect of the weekend as well as possible, from Friday onwards. We want to draw extra motivation from the passion of our home crowd and give our Tifosi a strong weekend.”

Standings Still Tight Behind Antonelli

Hamilton sits third in the championship, 59 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, who starts this weekend’s race from the back of the grid after Mercedes opted to fit him with a fresh power unit at his own home event. That leaves an opening for Ferrari, and for McLaren’s Lando Norris, to close the gap at a circuit where overtaking is easier than at most stops on the calendar.

Hamilton’s rise to third overall has come with the backing of a fresh power unit and a home crowd he has spoken about with clear affection twice in the space of a year. Ferrari have not hidden their hope that both count for something once the lights go out on Sunday.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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