The seven -time world champion knows that he has to finally deliver: “In Monza, huge printing is on us as a team. And most of it because I don’t have a good season,” he said.
To make matters worse, Ferrari celebrates the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda’s first World Cup title in Ferrari in 1975 at the home race. In memory of the Austrian racing legend, the Scuderia competes with a special paint that is modeled on the 1975 Ferrari.
For Hamilton it should feel like the spirit of the past Christmas is visiting him to remind him of more successful times. Because Lauda was not only a formative figure for Ferrari – but also for Hamilton personally.
After his active career, Lauda worked as a consultant for the Mercedes racing team. In this function, he played a significant part in bringing Hamilton from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 season. It was a change that was initially smiled at by many experts, but ultimately proved to be the right one. While Hamilton won another six World Cup title in the silver arrow and climbed to the record world champion, McLaren fell back to the end of the field in the following years. The British racing team only achieved a renaissance in the past seasons.
For Hamilton this means that without Lauda he would probably not have become a record world champion. He saw a mentor in Lauda whose death hit him deep in 2019. So when Hamilton rises on Sunday for one of his most difficult races in the re -painted Ferrari, Lauda’s spirit drives along. It remains to be seen whether it increases the pressure or even inspires Hamilton.