Lewis Hamilton is embracing the \u201cgood energy\u201d from Ferrari\u2019s passionate fans as he aims to give them something to cheer about at the Italian Grand Prix \u2013 despite heading into it with a grid penalty.<\/p>\n
Hamilton<\/a> has experienced a mixed first season at the Scuderia, with plenty to get used to on and off the track, but the seven-time World Champion starts his Monza weekend in high spirits after some special pre-race activities.<\/p>\n Indeed, Hamilton and team mate Charles Leclerc<\/a> were greeted by a huge crowd of Tifosi at a Ferrari<\/a> gathering in Milan on Wednesday, underlining the incredible support both drivers and the team will have behind them this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was such a unique experience,\u201d said Hamilton during Thursday\u2019s driver press conference. \u201cAlready from yesterday morning, getting to [the Ferrari factory in] Maranello, when you walk in and see the Ferrari logo\u2026 I still have to pinch myself.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people outside the factory always. I\u2019ve never seen fans outside the factory before, in any of my years. You see that every single time [here]. There\u2019s clearly just so much love for this brand, and what it means to people.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be in Milan, really in the heart of it all, seeing the fans and just how passionate they were, it was intense, but very, very positive. I really tried to harness all of that good energy that they gave us.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what Ferrari might be able to achieve at Monza, Hamilton expressed cautious optimism following the \u201cloads of positives\u201d he felt at the Dutch Grand Prix last time out.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery weekend is the first time driving this car at a track, and the approach is different from my previous experiences,\u201d he reiterated. \u201cWhen you go to these places the set-up\u2019s different, so it\u2019s always new, which I\u2019m enjoying at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Ferrari have generally gone pretty well [here] in the past years. Obviously they won here last year, with a great strategy and great drive from Charles.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really keen to see how the car works here. We\u2019re definitely learning from weekend to weekend, [with] loads of positives to take from the last, so we just have to keep building on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Pushed on whether he has wondered what it would be like to stand on the Monza podium as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton added: \u201cHonestly, I haven\u2019t, simply because I\u2019ve been on that podium plenty of times here.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it\u2019s like to be up there, I\u2019ve seen how it\u2019s been for other Ferrari drivers, and anything I try to imagine it\u2019ll be far from it, of what that feeling could be.\u201d<\/p>\n