Lewis Hamilton's sounding seriously optimistic about Ferrari's chances this weekend at Monza. The seven-time champ reckons the Scuderia have nailed a "North Star" for their 2026 campaign, and he's buzzing about the engine upgrades they're bringing to their home race. According to Hamilton, Ferrari have been losing around four tenths a lap to Mercedes on high-speed circuits, so these power unit improvements couldn't come at a better time.

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Speaking to the media at the Italian GP, Hamilton praised the shift in mentality at Maranello compared to last year's nightmare campaign. "Last year, I felt like there wasn't really a North Star. We were kind of just doing the best we could, but not really knowing where exactly we're trying to aim for," he explained. "Now we have a North Star. We know what we need to work towards. And I think they've done a tremendous job to really pull together and deliver."

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The Brit's been putting up podiums this season, including a maiden Ferrari victory in Barcelona, so he's got reason to feel bullish. However, he's keeping it real about what these upgrades actually mean. "This is a step forward. It's not the whole gap that we need, but we knew that would be the case," he said. "But to see bits coming each weekend, adding to the car, it's exciting to see that we are pushing and strongly still believe that we've got what it takes to win."

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Ferrari are currently 87 points adrift of Mercedes in the Constructors' championship, so they've got work to do. But with Hamilton's confidence, an aggressive development strategy in place, and the team clearly pulling in the same direction after a chaotic 2025, there's genuine momentum building at Maranello. More upgrades are on the horizon too, meaning the title fight could get spicy in the second half of the season.

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