Monza (Italy): Lewis Hamilton said Friday he is ready to wipe the smile from Sebastian Vettel’s face in front of Ferrari fans this weekend.
The Mercedes driver is seven points behind Ferrari’s championship leader in Formula One (F1) standings but can take over at the top by winning at Monza, the Italian ‘Temple of Speed’.
“This weekend the ultimate goal is obviously to win, to put a dent in that lead that he’s had all season,” Hamilton told reporters here. “He’s had that smile on his face all year long… so I’m looking forward to turning that upside down.”
Hamilton had started the last three Italian Grands Prix on pole position. He won two of them in 2014 and 2015, before finishing second to Nico Rosberg last year. He also won in 2012 with McLaren. So the track is a happy hunting ground for him.
Another pole position Saturday would be a F1 record, after Hamilton equalled former Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher’s 68 in Belgium last weekend, and looks highly likely.
Ferrari have not won a drivers’ championship for a decade, with Vettel’s current teammate Kimi Raikkonen the last in 2007. Vettel took his four with Red Bull. He is the first Ferrari driver to lead the championship at Monza since Fernando Alonso in 2012.
If most of the crowd will be cheering for Vettel and Raikkonen, Hamilton remained unconcerned. “I have in the past, many years ago, felt that I was in the enemy’s back garden,” Hamilton said with a smile. “But in the last four or five years I’ve had such a great welcome here even from the Ferrari fans. It’s much appreciated. Every time I come I feel at home. I love it here,” Hamilton stated.
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