Grid penalty gives Hamilton 'more to fight for'

Italian Grand Prix

Venue: Monza Dates: 5-7 September Race start: 14:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Lewis Hamilton says his five-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix "gives me more to fight for" at his first race at Monza for Ferrari.

The seven-time champion was given his penalty for not slowing sufficiently for yellow flags on the reconnaissance laps to the grid before Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.

Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc both crashed out at Zandvoort but the Briton's penalty was not decided until after the race.

Hamilton said: "I did lift. Just to their mind not enough. To get the penalty and (licence) penalty points was pretty hardcore.

"Not great when you're going into your first Monza GP for Ferrari, but it gives me more to fight for."

Hamilton spent Wednesday at an event in Milan in front of about 7,000 fans, and before that visited the Ferrari factory in Maranello, where fans also gathered outside the gates.

The seven-time world champion said he "still has to pinch myself" about the fact that he is now a Ferrari driver.

He added: "There is clearly so much love for this brand, and to be in Milan in the heart of it all and to see how passionate they all were, it was intense, and I really tried to harness all the positive energy they gave us."

Hamilton has had a difficult start to his Ferrari career, and has yet to stand on a podium for the team, despite a victory in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

He is sixth in the drivers' championship with 109 points - 200 fewer than leader Oscar Piastri.

But Hamilton said he felt he and the team were making progress and that he was "on the brighter end of the tunnel".

He added: "This one is really living the dream, moving to race with Ferrari.

"The harder it is, the better it can make you. This year has been tough for everyone. I had the whole of last year to think about it and try to prepare but there are still things you couldn't foresee.

"There has been a lot of adjustment from my side and the team side to accommodate me.

"There is a culture difference, and Fred (Vasseur, the team principal) made a comment that they perhaps underestimated what it would mean and the problems I would face with one in the team.

"But it really prepares us for better days and we will be stronger having gone through these six months."