'Highlight Of The Year' - Lewis Hamilton Lauds Ferrari's Showing in Emilia Romagna GP 2025, Admits Car Felt 'Mega' in The Race

Heading in to the latest Formula 1 race the Emilia Romagna GP 2025, there were few reasons for fans of the Ferrari F1 team - or the tifosi - to feel optimistic about chances of a good result. 

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were knocked out in Q2 in qualifying on Saturday, starting the race outside of the top 10 on a track where it is notoriously difficult to overtake. 

However, Hamilton finished in 4th and Leclerc 6th - a massive overachievement given the disaster that was Saturday qualifying. 

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Hamilton Sees Plenty of Positives

After the race, the seven-time world champion admitted he did not want to jinx the team's progress but said the car felt ‘mega'. 

"I don't want to jinx it. For sure there’s lots of positives to take away from today. We had pace so we really need to dissect and understand where and why. But the set-up was really good. The car felt mega, set-up-wise. And as I said, the strategy team did a fantastic job with strategy calls and pit stops," Hamilton said.

He also had special words of appreciation for the fans who vocally supported Ferrari at Imola. 

Praise for Tifosi

Hamilton has raced in front of Italian fans for years, but this was his first time doing so as a Ferrari driver - and he admitted it was a ‘great feeling’. 

"To drive in front of the Tifosi today and this weekend has been the highlight of the year so far. There’s a lot of pressure on us as a team with struggling through the year so far with the car and particularly to have such a strong race and to be moving forward, making ground. It was such a great feeling." 

The next race takes place in a week when the series heads to Monaco, where Hamilton and Ferrari can be confident of another good result.