Lewis Hamilton made an eye-catching arrival at the Italian Grand Prix, turning up at Monza in an iconic Ferrari F40 with his familiar race number 44 on the number plates. The unusual entrance immediately attracted attention as photographers and fans gathered to capture the Ferrari driver arriving for media day. The moment stood out even by Hamilton’s usual standards, with the seven-time world champion choosing a classic Ferrari rather than making a conventional paddock entrance.
The attention around Hamilton’s arrival comes as Ferrari faces an important weekend at its home race. Hamilton is joint-second in the 2026 drivers’ standings with 183 points, 59 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli is set to start from the back of the grid after Mercedes fitted his car with a new power unit, giving Hamilton and George Russell an opportunity to close the gap. Ferrari will also be looking for a strong result at Monza as it chases its first F1 victory since Charles Leclerc’s British Grand Prix win in July. While Hamilton’s entrance created plenty of excitement away from the track, the focus will now shift to whether he can turn that attention into a strong performance when the Italian Grand Prix gets underway.
Riccardo Patrese calls for Ferrari to back Lewis Hamilton ahead of Italian Grand Prix
Former Formula 1 driver Riccardo Patrese has urged Ferrari to make a clear choice between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc if the team wants to mount a serious challenge for the Drivers’ Championship. Patrese believes recent events at Zandvoort showed that Ferrari still lacks a defined hierarchy between its drivers. “What happened at Zandvoort shows that Ferrari still don’t have clear ideas. If you want to go and compete for the drivers’ championship, you need to choose one of the two. And Lewis has to be the number one. He’s doing a fantastic job. And he’s more consistent than Charles at the moment.”
Patrese also warned Ferrari against repeating McLaren’s approach of allowing both drivers to freely pursue their own title ambitions. He argued that the Italian team may need to use team orders if Hamilton emerges as its strongest championship contender. “If there is a chance that Ferrari can go and compete for the championship, they must choose the driver. It’s not that they can do what McLaren did last year, when their Papaya rules left the door open for both Lando and Oscar and refused team orders.” His comments put the spotlight on Ferrari’s strategy as Hamilton and Leclerc continue competing for results and points during a crucial stage of the season.
