What Italian media really thinks about Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton's first nine months at Ferrari have been far from the fairytale both he and his fans had hoped for. The seven-time world champion got off to a stellar start in the second weekend of the season, clinching victory in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

But Hamilton's form has dipped dramatically since then. The 40-year-old endured a miserable time at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend as he suffered an error-induced DNF in Zandvoort. In lap 22 of Sunday's race, which he began in P7, Hamilton went onto the painted run-off at turn three and lost control of his car. He made contact with the wall on the corner exit, which destroyed his front-right, bringing about his first retirement for the Scuderia. It comes just after the summer break, prior to which he faced the toughest period of his short Ferrari career.

He was knocked out in the first part of both the sprint shootout and Grand Prix qualifying in Belgium, before finishing down in 12th in Hungary. After his qualifying session in Hungary, he described himself as "absolutely useless" while speaking to Sky Sports F1 and urged Ferrari to "change driver".

His worrying comments showed the huge pressure Hamilton is under to perform in Ferrari colours, both in terms of external scrutiny and his own lofty standards. And it marks a huge shift in the mood surrounding the Brit, who was welcomed as a hero by the passionate fans and Italian media when he was unveiled at Maranello.

But there are many who have taken an objective stance towards Hamilton's first season for the Prancing Horse. Ahead of his return to Ferrari's home race in Monza this weekend, Riccardo Guglielmetti, a motorsport journalist at Corriere dello Sport, delved into the reasons why the former Mercedes driver has struggled, a lot of which he says has been out of Hamilton's control.

Guglielmetti said: "There are two aspects to analyse: the technical one and the human one. From a technical standpoint, Lewis is going through an adaptation process to a car that is very different from the Mercedes, particularly when it comes to braking and corner entry - crucial elements of driving.

"From a human perspective, there was obviously great expectation at the start of the season around Lewis, as all fans secretly dreamed of seeing Hamilton win the World Championship with Ferrari in his first year. However, it's important to keep in mind the limitations of the car, which hasn't won a World Championship in nearly 20 years. Leclerc, just to give an example, has been with Ferrari for 7 years but has never truly been in contention for the title.

"Then there's the garage, which is entirely new for Lewis, and the dynamics are quite different from those at Mercedes. Hamilton had Bono [Peter Bonnington] by his side for many years, with whom he could communicate with just a glance. Now he has to start from scratch with [Riccardo] Adami, and that will require time and chemistry."

Hamilton and race engineer Adami have had a rocky relationship in their short time working together, characterised bymiscommunication and petty arguments over the team radio.

He urged Hamilton to stay optimistic for the future, adding: "Although Lewis is a champion, he cannot expect to be immediately fighting for wins and podiums, especially behind the wheel of a car that has won only one race this year - highlighting its limitations.

"Finally: Hamilton must not let discouragement take over, because when Ferrari becomes competitive, he will be right there fighting at the front, just like he did in China in the Sprint Race."

Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, Hamilton will serve a five-place grid penalty after he was adjudged to have failed to slow down under yellow flags during the Dutch Grand Prix.