Lewis Hamilton makes 'volatile' Ferrari confession as he bids to reward Tifosi

For years, he was the adversary who repeatedly thwarted Ferrari's success at Monza. Lewis Hamilton even faced boos from the Italian team's fervent fans when he stood on the podium. However, these days, the Tifosi are firmly in his corner as the seven-time champion sets his sights on making the locals proud at the Italian Grand Prix.

He expressed: "My first Monza in Ferrari, in red, when I leave the garage tomorrow, it's going to be incredibly special coming onto this circuit. I just really reflect on when I was a kid watching Michael Schumacher winning here. And now I get to have that opportunity, that experience of being on the receiving end of the Tifosi. I want to give them absolutely everything this weekend to get the best result for them because the passion and the support they have given me and this team is like nothing I have ever seen."

Despite a challenging debut season with Ferrari, which Hamilton concedes has been more "volatile" than anticipated, the support has remained steadfast. "It's been an emotional roller coaster," admitted the 40-year-old, reflecting on his inaugural season in red.

However, he added optimistically: "Did I expect it to be as volatile in terms of the feeling? No, but that's life. I'd like to think that we're coming, even though we had a difficult Sunday [at Zandvoort last Sunday], towards the brighter end of the tunnel.

"I'm really trying not to worry about tomorrow. I'm really trying to be present and enjoy every moment. This half of the season has gone by really quick. There's obviously a long way to go, but I don't want to miss any of these special moments that we're having."

Ferrari will compete with a distinctive livery to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda's maiden F1 championship, whilst Hamilton's helmet will also feature the Austrian's name.

During his latter years, Lauda served as both friend and mentor to Hamilton during their time together at Mercedes.

The Briton remarked: "I think it's amazing this weekend because I got to celebrate Niki at Mercedes, I got to celebrate winning with him, winning championships with him, and then to be able to come to Ferrari and then also be able to celebrate him here is really, really cool."

However, his prospects of securing victory in Lauda's memory have been further diminished by the five-place grid penalty Hamilton carries for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags last Sunday.

Hamilton was eliminated from the Zandvoort race, meaning a time penalty could not be implemented.

He explained: "I landed back home and then saw that I got this penalty. I was really, really shocked, to be honest. It's obviously not black and white. The fact is, if you look at the report, I did lift [off the accelerator], but to their liking [it was] not enough. That's why they're saying [it's] not more [than five places], but to get the penalty and get penalty points, [it's] pretty hardcore."