Lewis Hamilton yells at ‘neighbors’ in Italian

Composite of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari kit in front of the colours of the Italian flag — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton yells at ‘neighbors’ in Italian

Ferrari launched their SF-26 car on Friday

By Chris Deeley.

Monday 26 January 2026 19:00

His first season at Ferrari might not have unfolded exactly as he hoped, but Lewis Hamilton has clearly thrown himself into life with F1’s most passionate supporters since making the switch last year.

If there was any doubt, the seven-time world champion erased it this week by sharing a short video on his Instagram story, captioned “happy car launch day,” showing him leaning out of a window and shouting into the distance — whether at nearby fans or simply into the void wasn’t entirely clear.

Either way, Hamilton’s message was unmistakably Italian: “Buongiorno, vicini di casa!” — which translates to “Good morning, my neighbors!”

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While we could've translated that, we didn't need to, because Hamilton poked his head back in somewhat sheepishly, before heading back out to shout his greeting in his own language.

Smooth testing day for Ferrari

Football fans will remember Steve 'Schteve' McClaren's faux-Dutch pronunciations when he went to manage FC Twente, so infamous that it's frequently the first thing referenced about him in casual conversation, as well as Joey Barton's absolutely baffling Marseille press conference, when he just...spoke English in the heavy French accent that he absolutely doesn't have. Odd man.

In the end, Friday's testing went about as smoothly as Hamilton and Ferrari could've hoped for, the team's drivers completing their mandated maximum combined 15km, performing a practice start and getting the new active aerodynamics up and running. All in all, a good day.

Well, mostly. There's a video online that seems to show Charles Leclerc stepping in some (dog?) poop. Maybe that's considered lucky in Monaco, though...?

F1 Lewis Hamilton