Lewis Hamilton gives SPICY Italian media interview after Imola race

A revitalised Lewis Hamilton delivered a spicy interview to the Italian media after the Imola Grand Prix, his first race with Ferrari in front of their home crowd.

The tifosi flocked to witness Hamilton’s first race in Italy with the Scuderia, and whilst they may have left disappointed on Saturday after a Q2 exit for both the champion and Charles Leclerc, Sunday’s race more than made up for it.

F1 RESULTS TODAY: Lewis Hamilton launches stellar comeback as McLaren beaten at Imola Grand Prix

Following the safety car restart, Hamilton launched a stunning comeback by overtaking his team-mate and Alex Albon to secure his best grand prix finish of the season in P4.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after the race, Hamilton delivered an upbeat interview about his performance, although the exchange started with some spicy comments from Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion addressed recent criticism in the press, including his tense altercations over team radio in Miami, and started the interview by grinning as he said: “Hopefully you have some nice things to say.”

As the interviewer went on the defensive, Hamilton quickly explained his comments, and said: “I’m not saying you did [not have nice things to say]."

Hamilton buoyed by Imola result

The 40-year-old was then asked how he felt after the P4 result in front of Ferrari's home crowd, and how the reception from the tifosi impacted his weekend.

“So, so happy. Firstly, the experience with the tifosi…wow. It’s been incredible. Thank you to everyone who came out,” Hamilton said.

“It was really very special for me to see the sea of red. I didn’t know what to expect this weekend or how many people would turn up but it looked like one of the biggest crowds we’ve had here.

“It felt vintage, like back in the day when I was watching Michael [Schumacher] race here and you see that bond. It was really great to see and experience so I tried to cherish that experience.

“I definitely didn’t expect for us to finish fourth today, given we were so far back but the car really felt great.”

Hamilton even mentioned a marked improvement in his relationship with race engineer Riccardo Adami, after his infamous ‘tea break’ comments in Miami.

“The team did a fantastic job with the strategy, they were faultless. We’re slowly getting there. Me and Riccardo [Adami] did a fantastic job with his communication with me.

“I was calm, so he was calm and the team were calm in executing the strategy and the pit stops were awesome. So overall, mega. I was hoping for some extra laps otherwise we could have maybe fought for a podium.”

F1 HEADLINES: Lewis Hamilton issues devastating statement as star dismissed at Imola Grand Prix

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