Lewis Hamilton finished the Formula 1 Italian GP this Sunday (6) in sixth place, but left Monza mainly highlighting the work done by Ferrari to bring the latest updates to the track. The Briton spent much of the race fighting in the front group.
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Hamilton started eighth after the second start and managed to advance to fourth position. However, the lack of performance on the straights made it difficult to battle with the main rivals, while tire wear also weighed in the final part of the race:
“I know how hard everyone worked to bring the latest updates to the car and I am grateful for all the effort that continues to be made, both on the track and in the factory. We knew we would lose a bit of performance on the straights and that made the race quite difficult for us. We would have liked to have achieved a better result, given all the work that was done on the car, but we will take the learnings from this weekend, regroup and keep working. The team will keep pushing and we will aim to come back stronger at the next race.”
The result represented a recovery after Hamilton lost positions at the first chicane. At the original start, the two Ferraris were very close and, to avoid contact, the Briton went through the gravel and fell back in the pack. At the second start, Hamilton reacted quickly and advanced to fourth place. From there, however, he found it difficult to keep up with the rivals on the Monza straights, while the loss of tire performance in the final laps prevented him from defending a better position.
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Fred Vasseur recognized this limitation as one of the main obstacles faced by Ferrari during the race: “We knew this race would be challenging, especially in terms of our top speed, and that made it difficult for Lewis to fight and overtake the cars around him,” said the team principal.
Although he did not achieve the result expected by the team in his home race, Hamilton valued the work done by Ferrari and is already projecting a response at the next stage, at the new Madrid circuit: “The team will keep pushing and we will aim to come back stronger at the next race.”
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