Ferrari set Lewis Hamilton major target after 'mega boost'

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has set Lewis Hamilton the target of finally landing a maiden F1 podium for the Scuderia, after an encouraging Italian GP. 

Hamilton qualified fifth fastest for his Monza debut for the team, but was demoted to 10th following his five-place grid for a yellow-flag infringement at Zandvoort, but climbed to sixth by the flag.

The seven-time champion pulled off strong overtakes throughout the race, including on Fernando Alonso, and finished just 4.4s behind George Russell, who had a clean run to fifth, with Hamilton 12s behind Charles Leclerc in fourth.

It means Hamilton has now gone 16 races with a podium for Ferrari, and 18 overall since his last visit, in a P2 finish for Mercedes at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. 

Never in his career has the 202-time rostrum finisher failed to claim a single grand prix podium, with Vasseur sure Hamilton will not make 2025 the first year.

"Yeah, because he was able to fight with Russell at Zandvoort and was able to come from P10 to the gearbox of Russell [at Monza],' Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365, when asked if he believed Hamilton would score a podium.

"Yes, we can expect to be on the podium.

"Honestly, it started in Zandvoort last week, and it's difficult because the outcome of the weekend was not positive, but at the end of the day, the pace was better from the beginning compared to Charles.

"The mood was better during the race, he was fighting with Russell until Lap 30, and that means he was in a better position, and I think the energy he received from the Tifosi on Wednesday in Milan was something very special for him. 

"I don't know what he was expecting, but it was something mega, and this gave him an extra boost all weekend, so for sure, we had to serve the penalty, and knew it would not be an easy one, but he came back, and the pace was there from the first lap of FP1."