Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has won five times at Monza, a record haul, yet eight years have passed since his last triumph in Italy.
This year he lines up in front of the tifosi, Ferrari's fiercely loyal home support, in one of their cars for the first time. The Italian team has prepared an upgraded engine for the weekend, giving its driver reason to believe a fight is possible. Yet the expectation is enormous, and the tension keeps building. "The pressure is high, you want to deliver for the team," the Briton admitted. Sharing a record with the legendary Michael Schumacher, he now moves into entirely new territory, where success would carry a particular historical weight. For Hamilton this race is about more than points; it is a chance to seal his own immortality in the heart of Italy.
