When Lewis Hamilton acknowledged his respect for the Tifosi despite being booed

A video from 2020 of Lewis Hamilton praising Tifosi despite their booing at Monza has surfaced. The seven-time world champion will soon join Ferrari after the 2024 F1 season.

The clip was recently shared on X by one of Hamilton's fan accounts. In the video, the British driver is at Monza's old track discussing his wins at the historic circuit and noting the surreal atmosphere at the podium. He has won the Italian GP five times, in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Hamilton mentions that though he has not always received love from Italian fans, he still respects them and praises them for supporting Ferrari. He says that he has gradually come closer to them and recognizes those who support him during Italian GPs.

"I would not say that every year I have always been the most welcomed here [at Monza], but I definitely feel like every year I grow more and more closer with more and more Italian fans here. The ones that do support me, I notice them when I get to do the driver's parade, get to point them out. They are so loving and caring, so super grateful to them," Hamilton said.

"I mean, even if you get booed, I am still grateful. I respect the Italian fans that are fans of Ferrari. They are what keeps Ferrari and that brand as iconic as it is and it would not be anything without them," he added.

Before the 2024 F1 season, Ferrari announced that Hamilton would join them as their permanent driver from 2025. He will end a 12-year partnership with Mercedes and drive alongside Charles Leclerc.

---

Ferrari team boss delves into Lewis Hamilton's 'much broader' role in the team

Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur recently spoke about Lewis Hamilton's arrival on the team and his role. He explained that the world champion will not only be a driver at Ferrari, but will also actively take part in shaping the team's future.

The driver's experience would massively help the Maranello-based giants, according to Vasseur. He said (via Motorsport):

"The input of Lewis or another driver is not just about qualification lap time and so on. It's the finality of the job. What we all collectively can see Saturday or Sunday - at the end of the day, the job of the driver is much wider."

"It's starting sometimes six or eight months before the season, to be able to work on the next project, to bring his own experience, his own view on what we can do, or how we could do it and so on and so on," he added.

Hamilton has won two races with Mercedes in 2024, in England and Belgium. He currently stands in sixth place in the Drivers' Championship with 150 points.