Lewis Hamilton has received a predictable reception after starting work at Ferrari this week. The Tifosi are clamouring for an autograph, a selfie or even a glimpse of the seven-time world champion.
Maranello’s mayor has declared a state of emergency, such is the hype Hamilton has generated. He’s had to call in police from elsewhere to help manage the ‘onslaught’ of fans, with every hotel in the area booked up.
Ferrari fans have even left a sign for Hamilton at the Fiorano test track. The circuit will play host to his first test in a two or three-year-old car this week.
However, Ferrari won’t confirm the date of Hamilton’s debut. They know it will be difficult to manage the crowds if they let it slip, and it’s supposed to be a private affair.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur wants to keep Hamilton’s first week low-key, in contrast to the fanfare around Michael Schumacher in the ’90s. The intention is to remain as focused as possible.
But the British driver hasn’t always been loved by the Ferrari fans. Whether it was Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa or Sebastian Vettel, his rivalries with the Scuderia’s drivers have generated hostility in the past.
Kimi Raikkonen once condemned Ferrari fans for Lewis Hamilton boos
Hamilton has won five times at Monza, Ferrari’s home race. The most recent of those victories came in 2018, when he led home Raikkonen and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
The Monza podium is one of the most famous on the grid, typically overlooking a sea of red on the pit straight. But the crowd booed Hamilton as he celebrated his victory.
Even Ferrari driver Raikkonen felt their response was unfair. He wanted them to show more respect for a driver who was already a four-time world champion.
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“I think everybody has the right to do what they feel like but I don’t think it’s very nice,” he said at the time. “I don’t think it should happen. It’s not my decision but it happens and that’s how life is. But it’s not very nice.”
This year’s Italian GP is scheduled for September, but Hamilton will be able to drive in front of the Tifosi before that point. F1 heads to Imola for the Emilia Romagna GP in May.
What Lewis Hamilton had to say about ‘worst’ Italian Grand Prix podium
Hamilton would face more jeers in 2019, even though Charles Leclerc had won the race – Ferrari’s first home victory since 2010. He claimed he’d received ‘the biggest boos’ of any driver who’d raced at Monza.
Vettel was subjected to a similar reception during his dominance at Red Bull, but he was embraced after his move to Maranello in 2015. Perhaps a similar phenomenon will take effect this year.
Hamilton called Monza ‘the worst podium’ from his perspective, but he’ll surely change his mind if he stands on the top step in red overalls. It would be one of the most memorable victories in recent F1 history.
While he hasn’t won at the circuit since 2018, only Schumacher can match his Monza win tally. What’s more, Hamilton set the fastest lap in F1 history, going by average speed, during the 2020 race weekend.
