Lewis Hamilton explains key highlight move involving Charles Leclerc: “Just to really show solidarity”

Lewis Hamilton’s first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver ended without silverware, yet the closing moments at Monza told a deeper story. After taking sixth place on Sunday, the Briton steered his SF-25 alongside teammate Charles Leclerc during the slow-down lap, saluting the grandstands packed with red. Behind them, former Ferrari man Carlos Sainz eased in to complete a rare image of the Scuderia’s past and present sharing a lap of honor before the tifosi.

F1’s official X handle later shared the cool-down-lap footage captioned:

"Lewis. Charles. Carlos ❤️ Ferrari’s past and present, adored all the same by the Tifosi."

The clip shows Lewis Hamilton beside Charles Leclerc down the back straight, engines muted, grandstands roaring, while Carlos Sainz rolled in behind, three scarlet cars weaving toward parc fermé as banners waved.

Speaking to La Gazzetta Ferrari, Hamilton focused on the fans:

"I thought it would be really special to do. I pulled up alongside Charles, and ultimately it was just to really show solidarity, to show our gratitude to the tifosi, because they really, really show up in full force this weekend."

Hamilton arrived in Maranello this winter to replace Sainz, a high-profile switch that instantly sharpened scrutiny on both men. Sixteen races in, the seven-time champion trails Leclerc 12-4 in qualifying and 12-2 in race finishes, his lone bright spot a Shanghai sprint win.

Sainz, now at Williams, is rebuilding from the midfield. Leclerc has carried Ferrari’s podium count alone, leaving Italy’s faithful hungry for more. Coming off a bruising Dutch Grand Prix where Hamilton absorbed a five-second penalty at Zandvoort, Monza offered a chance to reset in front of home fans.

Lewis Hamilton during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria qualifying. Source: Getty

Qualifying left Leclerc P4 and Hamilton P5, but a pre-race grid penalty dropped the Briton to tenth. Once the lights went out, Ferrari’s afternoon became a grind. Leclerc fought Oscar Piastri tooth-and-nail for third over the opening laps, conceding on lap five after a spirited exchange.

Hamilton sliced forward, reaching sixth by lap seven as George Russell loomed ahead. Long medium-tire runs delayed both Ferrari stops. Leclerc boxed on lap 34, while Hamilton boxed on lap 38, and brisk out-laps kept them clear of the midfield chaos. Eventually, Leclerc secured fourth, Hamilton finished sixth, a needed haul after a double DNF seven days prior.

Lewis Hamilton framed his clean recovery at Monza, 'a solid result', a race without major errors in a car still prone to inconsistency.

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Lewis Hamilton 'honored to be driving for Ferrari' after another Sunday comeback at Monza

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton of Team Scuderia Ferrari HP. Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton has struggled on Saturdays this year. The seven-time world champion has been knocked out in Q2 three times, Q3 once, and trails his teammate Charles Leclerc decisively. But the British driver has salvaged points by racing forward.

Miami (12th to 8th), Imola (12th to 6th), Belgium (16th to 7th), and now Monza (10th to 6th) mark a string of damage-limiting drives. On Monday, September 8, he amplified that message with an Instagram carousel captioned:

"Solid progress in Monza, the penalty made a better result challenging, but I gave it everything. Thank you to the Tifosi for bringing the passion. I’m so honoured to be driving for Ferrari and to be on the receiving end of the incredible love... Grazie a tutti ✌🏾🇮🇹."

With a one-week pause before Formula 1 heads to Baku on September 21, Ferrari’s mission remains stability. The Azerbaijani street course has crowned a different winner every year since 2017, and Lewis Hamilton won here in 2018, but today’s form lags that peak.

Ferrari leaves Italy with both cars in the top six, a foundation the tifosi can finally cheer. Whether or not the breakthrough podium arrives in Baku remains to be seen.