Lewis Hamilton explains 'romantic feeling' in update on Italian home hunt

Lewis Hamilton has described how "romantic" he is finding spending time in Italy, but shared he is yet to choose a home local to Ferrari.

The British driver switched Mercedes for the Maranello-based squad over the winter. It was a move that will billed as the biggest in the championship's history.

In doing so, he left the most successful pairing F1 has seen, with six drivers' championships and eight constructors' titles in 12 seasons.

On track, his Ferrari tenure has gotten off to an underwhelming start, given the significant expectation and fanfare that accompanied him to the Scuderia.

However, the 40-year-old admitted he is falling "in love" with the country, despite not residing there currently. 

"Honestly, it’s pretty amazing," the seven-time F1 drivers' champion told media, including RacingNews365, when asked about his experience so far. "I’m loving traveling to Italy.

"I haven’t yet found a spot there – I haven’t made a decision exactly what I’m going to do – but I am lacking in the lingo area. So that’s still something I’m thinking about.

"But I love going to Maranello. The more I see of Italy, the more I fall in love with the place – with the culture, with the buildings, the architecture. There’s a real romantic feeling when you’re in Italy."

Translating to results

Expanding on life away from the paddock, Hamilton shared that he "couldn't be happier" outside of F1. The 105-time grand prix winner also underlined how committed he remains to making that translate to success on circuit.

"But honestly, it’s been a whirlwind of a year," the Ferrari driver explained. "I’ve got great new brand partners that I’m working with. I’m working on new projects... I’ve got lots of business ventures that are going really well.

"Everything generally outside of the racetrack is going amazing, and I’m working as hard as I can to make sure that’s reflected also in my results. So yeah, I couldn’t be happier in that respect."

Addressing the Italian team's disappointing start to the campaign, Hamilton outlined the current situation. 

Having had to settle for consistent points finishes aside from a sprint win and podium, in China and Miami respectively, he conceded the Prancing Horse must improve the SF-25 whilst juggling the twin challenge of also working on next season's car.

"I want to be at the front, obviously," he said. "Generally, we need to bring more performance to our car. We’ve had one upgrade in Bahrain. Hopefully soon we’ll have another.

"We’re also in that period where we have to start working on next year’s car. The car I’m racing right now is not a car that I’ve had input in developing and evolving over the past four years.

"So I’m driving a car that Charles has obviously been a part of developing, knows very, very well, and has its challenges. But I’m enjoying that challenge."