Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says upgraded Ferrari engine 'step forward but not whole amount we need'

Kimi Antonelli has won the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, ending a 60-year wait for a home winner. According to coverage from ESPN and Formula 1, Antonelli achieved this victory after starting from 19th on the grid, completing a sensational comeback. In the closing stages of the race, as reported by Motorsport.com, Antonelli led George Russell before ultimately overtaking him to secure the win. The event was tracked via live updates and commentary provided by the BBC, highlighting the grid and start times for the Monza race. Significant attention was directed toward Ferrari's technical preparations leading up to the race. The BBC, Formula 1, and Yahoo Sports reported on Lewis Hamilton's assessment of a second engine upgrade.

While Hamilton stated that Ferrari has the car to fight for a home win and described the upgrade as a step forward, he noted it was not the whole amount the team needed. Formula 1 reports that Hamilton strongly believed in the team's victory chances, while the Guardian noted his readiness to seek a phenomenal win. Sky Sports highlighted Hamilton's thoughts on the possibility of becoming the first black Ferrari driver to win in Italy. Context for the weekend included a broader focus on Ferrari's internal trajectory and technical distribution. RACER - Racing News noted that Fred Vasseur's revolution at the team is on target regardless of the race outcome. This sentiment was echoed by Charles Leclerc, who expressed belief in Vasseur and targeted a very special weekend with the new engine.

However, Motorsport.com clarified that not all drivers benefited from these technical changes, specifically noting that Esteban Ocon would not receive the upgraded Ferrari F1 engine for the Italian Grand Prix. Future attention will likely remain on the performance of the upgraded Ferrari power unit as the team continues its development cycle. Following the comments from Lewis Hamilton regarding the remaining performance gap, the effectiveness of further iterations of the engine will be a key point of interest. Additionally, the impact of Kimi Antonelli's victory from a low grid position establishes a new benchmark for home performance at Monza. Coverage from the various outlets confirms that while the engine upgrade was a primary talking point for the Ferrari drivers, the race result was ultimately dominated by Antonelli's comeback.