Few races are more important for a new Ferrari driver than his first Grand Prix in Italy, and Lewis Hamilton just got his first taste of the tifosi last weekend in Imola.

But that’s not just a big change for Hamilton; many of his fans are supporting Ferrari for the first time, too — and the seven-time World Champion paid tribute to those fans who have made the team swap alongside him.

Lewis Hamilton shouts out fans who made the Mercedes to Ferrari swap

The news that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes — the team he’d competed with for over a decade — to race for Scuderia Ferrari in 2025 may go down in motorsport history as one of the biggest bombshell announcements of all time.

Immediately, speculation began. How long would it take Hamilton to find his footing? Could Ferrari give him his record-setting eighth World Championship? Who would become the team’s ‘first’ driver, Hamilton or Charles Leclerc?

Unfortunately, Ferrari’s SF-25 has proven a challenge for both of the team’s drivers, with Hamilton’s pole-to-flag victory at China’s sprint race proving to be an outlier, not the norm.

The move, then, hasn’t been easy for Hamilton, who has struggled to feel in control and balanced behind the wheel, but he’s not the only one struggling.

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For all of Ferrari’s struggles this season — and for all of Hamilton’s own struggles coming to grips with his new machinery — there are still plenty of Hamilton fans who have been determined to support their driver no matter what.

Speaking to DAZN after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Hamilton said, “I saw a lot of red caps and it’s great to see many of the fans who supported me making this transition even if they loved Mercedes—and some still do.

“They told me: ‘It’s hard to make this change, it’s something new.’ But I’m very proud, it’s been a mega day.”

Everything seemed to go wrong for Ferrari in qualifying, with both drivers failing to make it to Q3. But a fourth-place for Hamilton certainly went a long way in easing some of those early weekend frustrations.

“It was an incredible day,” Hamilton enthused to DAZN. “Who would have thought this race would be so exciting?

“Normally this is a DRS train, but it wasn’t today. The team did a great job with strategy. The pit stops were excellent.

“I lost some time at the start of the race, but I recovered from P12 to P4. I was expecting to finish eighth or something like that. One of the races I’ve enjoyed the most. It’s always fun when you’re overtaking.

“I had a lot of fun. The start was a bit tricky because I was on the hard tyre. I got a good launch, but Charles came across and we almost made contact.

“I think I lost position to another Mercedes also on hards and that cost us time. But with the Safety Car and strategy the team got it right.

“It took them a long time to remove the Safety Car! I lost many laps before I could fight. But hey, when you have good days you talk a lot.”

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