Lewis Hamilton’s face lit up and the Tifosi waved flags after the £60million man in red’s race of redemption for Ferrari.
‘Incredible,’ smiled the seven-time world champion of competing in front of the fervent home fans. Yet it was only fourth place for him, albeit an eventful, charging one — and, let’s not forget, that is not what he had in mind when trumpets heralded his arrival.
But only 24 hours before it had been far bleaker. Hamilton qualified 12th, a place below team-mate Charles Leclerc. It was Ferrari’s worst qualifying showing in all 32 grands prix staged at Imola, this quaint track just over an hour, and a traffic jam, away from the Scuderia’s Maranello HQ.
Had they got Saturday right, Hamilton, or Leclerc who finished sixth, might have mounted the podium.
Hamilton was helped by the two stoppages caused by broken-down cars, having dropped a place at the start to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, whom he could not overhaul in their long early duel. He made a host of later passes, including on George Russell, Alex Albon and Leclerc.
Other than for his sprint victory in China, when he showcased his enduring skills as a tyre whisperer, it has been a tough initiation at Ferrari. So this experience was balm.
Lewis Hamilton said the experience of competing at Imola as a Ferrari driver was ‘incredible’
The seven-time world champion bounced back from qualifying disappointment to finish fourth
Hamilton hailed the ‘amazing experience’ as he reflected on seeing a ‘sea of red everywhere’
‘What an amazing experience,’ Hamilton enthused. ‘On the (pre-race) drivers’ parade, all the others were all doing their normal thing, but I was taking pictures and a film of the crowd and Ayrton (Senna)’s memorial. It was a sea of red everywhere.
‘It was reminiscent of when I was growing up, sitting at home on my couch, eating a bacon sarnie, and watching Michael Schumacher racing here with Ferrari, seeing the connection he had with Ferrari. It was an incredible experience to think I’m now here in one of the two Ferraris and having that connection with such a passionate group of people.’
Ahead of Monaco next weekend, Hamilton was cautiously positive. He said: ‘I felt really aligned with the car in China and the only other time is today. The set-up was great. Monaco has been strong in the past.
‘It is still a question of getting the tyres working on low-speed tracks. We can figure that out next week.’