Italian media’s true thoughts on Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari after difficult start

Lewis Hamilton's first nine months with Ferrari have been anything but the fairytale both he and his fans wanted. The seven-time world champion enjoyed a brilliant start to the season's second weekend, securing a surprise victory in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

But Hamilton's performances have plummeted drastically since then. The 40-year-old endured a torrid result at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend as he suffered an error-induced DNF at Zandvoort.

On lap 22 of last Sunday's race, which he had started from P7, Hamilton ran onto the painted run-off at turn three and lost control of his car. He collided with the barrier on the corner exit, which destroyed his front-right, causing his first retirement for the Scuderia.

It came immediately after the summer break, before which he had experienced the most challenging spell of his short Ferrari career. He was knocked out in the first part of both the sprint shootout and Grand Prix qualifying in Belgium, before finishing down in 12th in Hungary.

Following his qualifying session in Hungary, he branded himself "absolutely useless" while speaking to Sky Sports F1 and urged Ferrari to "change driver." His concerning remarks demonstrated the enormous weight of expectation Hamilton faces to deliver in Ferrari’s famous red, both in terms of external scrutiny and his own lofty standards.

And it represented a dramatic shift in the mood surrounding the Brit, who was greeted as a hero by the passionate Ferrari supporters and Italian media when he was unveiled at Maranello.

But there are many who have taken an objective view on Hamilton’s first season for the Prancing Horse. Ahead of his return to Ferrari’s home race in Monza this weekend, Riccardo Guglielmetti, a motorsport journalist at Corriere dello Sport, delved into the reasons why the former Mercedes driver has struggled, a lot of which he says has been out of Hamilton's control.

Guglielmetti explained: “There are two aspects to analyse: the technical one and the human one. From a technical standpoint, Lewis is going through an adaptation process to a car that is very different from the Mercedes, particularly when it comes to braking and corner entry - crucial elements of driving.

“From a human perspective, there was obviously great expectation at the start of the season around Lewis, as all fans secretly dreamed of seeing Hamilton win the World Championship with Ferrari in his first year. However, it's important to keep in mind the limitations of the car, which hasn’t won a World Championship in nearly 20 years. Leclerc, just to give an example, has been with Ferrari for seven years but has never truly been in contention for the title.

“Then there's the garage, which is entirely new for Lewis, and the dynamics are quite different from those at Mercedes. Hamilton had Bono (Peter Bonnington) by his side for many years, with whom he could communicate with just a glance. Now he has to start from scratch with [Riccardo] Adami, and that will require time and chemistry.”

Hamilton and race engineer Adami have endured a turbulent relationship so far, marked by miscommunication and petty squabbles over the team radio. Guglielmetti urged Hamilton to stay optimistic for the future.

He added: “Although Lewis is a champion, he cannot expect to be immediately fighting for wins and podiums, especially behind the wheel of a car that has won only one race this year - highlighting its limitations.

“Finally, Hamilton must not let discouragement take over, because when Ferrari becomes competitive, he will be right there fighting at the front, just like he did in China in the sprint race.”

Hamilton will face a five-place grid penalty at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after he failed to slow down under yellow flags during the Dutch Grand Prix, another blow of a bruising season.