Hamilton 'Looking Forward' To Seeing Tifosi But Doesn't Know What To Expect

Friday, 17 May 2024 at 22:00

Lewis Hamilton discussed the reception from the Italian crowd ahead of the first European race in 2024 at Imola Circuit.

Imola Circuit is located in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, hence the name for the race- Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It is a home race to Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton's future team.

Some pundits suggested that the Italian crowd will love and welcome the seven-time World Champion with open arms this season, even though he's still driving for Mercedes.

Asked about the reception from the crowd during Thursday's media day at Imola Circuit, the 39-year-old Mercedes driver told the media:

"Firstly, I'm a Mercedes driver right now. I love being in Italy. So get here and you have to get good food."

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"But yeah, I don't have any particular feeling of… I don't know what to expect. I think I've always had good support here in the past. Racing is huge over here, as you know."

Ferrari has probably the most passionate fanbase of all the teams on the grid. The whole of Italy supports Ferrari, which is why it's also often called the only "national" team on the grid.

Scuderia's passionate fans are known as the "Tifosi." While the Mercedes driver doesn't know what to expect, it has been his dream to drive for Ferrari, and he suggested he is looking forward to seeing and engaging with the fans even though he's not there yet.

"I'm definitely excited to see people, but I don't know what to expect, it might be the same. I arrived at the track today, just the same as any other weekend. I'm just excited to get on track."

“There will be a big crowd here, there always is, and they come out in full force the Tifosi so I’m looking forward to seeing them but I’ve not had a huge amount of time to engage with them."

It would be interesting to watch local fans' reactions if Hamilton managed to win the race, but unfortunately, Mercedes seems to be behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren at the moment.