Why Lewis Hamilton received a ‘surprising’ reception from Ferrari F1 fans after finishing fourth at Imola

Lewis Hamilton has now experienced his first Formula 1 race in Italy as a Ferrari driver after 17 seasons of witnessing the Tifosi’s passion as an outsider.

Ferrari have some of the most passionate fans in Formula 1 although this might be the final year where they have two home races to get behind their drivers.

Imola could drop off the calendar this year and what could be the last Emilia Romagna Grand Prix didn’t quite go to plan for Ferrari.

Damon Hill lamented Ferrari’s poor performance in qualifying with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc failing to start in the top 10 last Sunday.

Both drivers made up positions during the race and Hamilton in particular put in a very impressive performance.

He perfected the overtake around the outside of the first corner in a similar manner to how Max Verstappen took the lead from Oscar Piastri but ran out of time to hunt down the Australian for the final podium position.

Ferrari fans turned out in full force to support Hamilton during the race despite the team’s tough start to 2025.

What happened after the Grand Prix ended left journalist Roberto Chinchero very surprised.

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Lewis Hamilton received ‘surprising’ reception from Ferrari fans at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Chinchero was speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast about the seven-time world champion’s first race at Imola since making the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari.

He noted: “Talking with former Ferrari drivers, it always comes through how special the first race in Italy when you become a Ferrari driver.

“And I think it was the same for Lewis, and what surprised me a bit has been the reception that Lewis had from the Tifosi because there’s no doubt that Ferrari’s season so far has been very, very different compared to expectation.

“I remember before the start of the season, and this could have dampened the enthusiasm of the supporters, but this never, never happened.

“Of course, we have not seen any celebration, there’s no reason for that.

“But after the race, I personally witnessed the moment when Lewis came out of the box, just to greet the Tifosi from the pit wall, and it was a special moment.

“There were no whistles, just cheering, and excited Lewis with a message, the best will come.

“I’m sure Lewis dreamed of jumping on the podium in front of the Tifosi, but at the moment it’s simply not possible considering the performance of the car.”

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Why Lewis Hamilton should be more excited about his next race in front of Ferrari’s fans at Monza

Alongside the positive response Hamilton and Leclerc received at Imola, journalist Ben Hunt also noted that he was surprised how many Argentine fans were at the circuit supporting Alpine’s new driver Franco Colapinto.

Colapinto is only on a five-race deal, so whether he makes it to Monza later in the year is yet to be seen, but there are reasons why Hamilton and Leclerc should be positive about the Italian Grand Prix later in the year.

Ferrari believe that the inherent potential of the SF-25 means that they can challenge the likes of McLaren and Red Bull with a few key updates.

A new rear suspension is being worked on by Ferrari although it’s yet to be seen when this will be delivered.

Ferrari seem to understand what’s going wrong with the car which is a positive step, but whether they have the time or budget to fix those issues is still up in the air.

However, Ferrari fans have backed Hamilton and have every reason to believe that Monza later in the year will be a more positive experience.