Monza, Italy – Lewis Hamilton will start the Italian Grand Prix from the sixth grid position after receiving a five-place penalty for a component change on his Ferrari power unit, the team confirmed Saturday.
The penalty comes after a challenging start to his season with Ferrari, marked by inconsistency despite a sprint race win from pole position in China. Prior to the summer break,Hamilton struggled with qualifying,finishing 12th at the hungarian Grand Prix adn expressing self-criticism,stating he was “useless” after failing to reach Q3. He also faced an unexpected elimination in the first qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix, describing the result as “incredibly painful.”
Ferrari Team Principal fred Vasseur emphasized that the setback in the Netherlands had not diminished Hamilton’s confidence. “the reaction from lewis was good; it was a good recovery after two tough races before the break. But for sure, this was not what we expected,” Vasseur said of the recent double retirement.
Vasseur noted a clear improvement in Hamilton’s performance. “This has been a lot more positive than the last four or five races. It was much better than what he did in the last race in Budapest. I could see the confidence was back and it was good readiness [for Monza].”
Hamilton, currently sixth in the drivers’ championship, agreed with Vasseur’s assessment, highlighting positive developments. “it was a bit twitchy, the car, but I think we made real progress and my pace was looking pretty decent,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Despite recent difficulties, Vasseur remained optimistic. “We can take a lot of positives from the weekend,” he said, adding that the team’s mood was not discouraged.
