7/09/2025

theSun on Sunday SEPT 7, 2025

SPORTS 11

Hamilton’s Ferrari rollercoaster

Prancing Horse fans downhearted by Brit’s F1 troubles

FERRARI fans have been left disillu sioned by Lewis Hamilton’s dismal first season at Formula One’s biggest team which has failed to live up to hype. The Scuderia’s massive local support will descend on Monza this weekend in hope rather than expectation that Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc can give them something to shout about in the face of overwhelming McLaren dominance. Red was predictably the dominant col our around the circuit on Friday, with Ferrari fans discussing their beloved team’s chances of adding to this year’s paltry four podium finishes - none of which have been claimed by seven-time F1 champion Hamilton – and no GP wins. “I was always a fan of Hamilton as a driver and we all hoped when he arrived that he would win his eighth world title with Ferrari; it would have been really romantic,” says Luca Spagnoli, 19, to AFP . “We’ll see for next year but this season is basically done.” Hamilton is 200 points behind champi onship leader Oscar Piastri and trails Leclerc by 42 having only finished ahead of the Monegasque twice all year. “I’m disappointed because he’s not performed as well as we hoped he would when he arrived, because we all thought that Hamilton would be ahead of Leclerc

at the China GP, scant reward for sup porters who were delighted by his head line move to Ferrari after 12 years at Mercedes. “I was excited,” recalled Anna Rinaldi, 41. “I was in a work meeting in Milan and I stopped the meeting, told every one that this is a day for history, for Italy. It is a very important day in history. “I really hope that they’re focusing on next year and I hope they have something good to show for it. But my expectations are low because I’ve been a Ferrari fan for, I don’t know, 40 years … the Schumacher years were good but other than that it’s been very hard.”

but instead Leclerc has been ahead of him in almost every race,” adds Spagnoli. Hamilton, who started the Monza weekend with the fastest time in Friday’s first practice, crashed out of last week end’s Dutch GP and suggested Ferrari replace him during the Hungarian

supporters, who belong to a Ferrari fan club from Mirabello Monferrato in the Piedmont region, were pessimistic about his chances this weekend and Ferrari’s future. Massimo Pilotto, 50, who is president of the club which has 140 members, laments that F1 has become “a sport that’s about image”. “We’re supporters, we get behind Charles and Lewis because that’s our his tory. But he (Hamilton) isn’t at ease here after 12 years at Mercedes. “We’ll keep supporting Ferrari … and I’ll stay behind him because I believe he’ll get there sooner or later.” His friend and fellow club member Antonio Muzio, a 74-year-old whose first live GP was at Monza when Niki Lauda was driving for Ferrari in the 1970s, believes that signing Hamilton was a mis take. “I think he’s going to have a sad end to his career, compared to what he was before. Like (Sebastian) Vettel and (Valentino) Rossi,” said Muzio. “I would have brought in a youngster, like Mercedes did with (Kimi) Antonelli. “Clearly the car is no good because we haven’t won a title for 17 years. McLaren have built a winning car in three years while Ferrari has been making losing cars.” – AFP

GP before the summer break. The 40-year-old has since shown renewed enthusiasm to be a Ferrari driver, saying on Thursday that he still needed to pinch himself when returning to Italy and seeing the support for the team. Hamilton described his first year in red as an “emotional rol lercoaster”, and Sunday’s race will offer similar thrills

Hamilton’s task at Monza has been made harder by a five-place grid penalty for fail

with drivers at full throttle 80 percent of the time at the

Lewis Hamilton. – REUTERSPIC

so-called “Temple of Speed”. So far Hamilton’s best result has been winning the Sprint race

ing to slow down in a yel low flag zone on his way to the grid at the Dutch GP. And one group of five

England recall Curran for South Africa T20s

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The Northern Irishman added: “I’m really pleased with the day’s work and it keeps me within touching distance going into the weekend.” Sweden’s Lagergren leads by one stroke from France’s Adrien Saddier, wi9th McIlroy saying: “The two boys are ahead of the pack but I feel like I’m close enough that if I have a good weekend I can chase them down.” – AFP taking over as limited-overs boss in addition to his Test duties. Curran was a key figure as the Oval Invincibles won a third straight Hundred title. As well as being added to the England T20 squad to face South Africa, he will also join the three-match trip to Ireland. England great Stuart Broad, speaking before yesterday’s announcement, urged some of the all-format players be given a break ahead of the Ashes. “I thought England looked a bit tired,” he told Sky Sports . “It’s understandable.” “They played 25 days solid, hard cricket against India in the Test series and two days later they were straight into the The Hundred. Now they’re playing a white-ball series and the winter is only getting busier. “Now they have lost this series I would be half-tempted to send Ben Duckett and Joe Root up the M1 (motorway to go home) rather than down to Southampton,” the former paceman added. – AFP

Duckett is set for a key role at the top of England’s order when they bid to regain the Ashes in Australia starting in November. It remains to be seen if he will keep his ODI place at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl ground this weekend. England white-ball captain Harry Brook had rejected sugges tions Duckett should be rested immediately after Thursday’s five run loss at Lord’s, but team man agement appear to have changed course.

ENGLAND announced yesterday they were resting opening batsman Ben Duckett from an upcoming T20 series against South Africa follow ing successive one-day interna tional losses to the Proteas, with Sam Curran (pic) recalled for the first time this year. Duckett, a first-choice all format player, was out for scores of five and 14 in this week’s two ODIs, with defeats at Headingley and Lord’s leaving England 2-0 down in a three-match contest ahead of today’s finale (6pm Malaysian time) in Southampton. The usually lively left hander has looked weary after being one of a handful of England cricket ers involved throughout a gruelling five-Test series at home to

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They also seem to have had a rethink about the role of Surrey all-rounder Curran, whose England exile has coincided with head coach Brendon McCullum

India before a month of action in the domestic 100 balls per side Hundred competition.

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McIlroy surges into Irish open contention RORY MCILROY carded a Lagergren, who posted an outstanding round of 62.

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bogey-free 66 in the second round of the Irish Open at the K Club yesterday to move into a tie for third-place at 7-under-par. The five-time major winner cut a frustrated figure in the first round after his group were given a slow play warning in County Kildare. But he appeared happier yesterday, with McIlroy five shots behind leader Joakim

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