Hamilton shocks Ferrari with first speech in Italian

Lewis Hamilton has impressed Ferrari with his first speech in Italian. The Brit thanked fans through a pre-prepared message read off of his phone. Albeit, the seven-time world champion spoke well as he works hard to acclimatise himself to the illustrious Maranello-based team.

Hamilton's efforts will doubtlessly go down well in the eyes of the Tifosi, who have accepted the Brit with open arms. A few weeks ago, thousands of fans flocked to Ferrari's Fiorano test track to catch a glimpse of the 105-time Grand Prix winner in a Ferrari for the first time. He spoke basic Italian while signing fans merchandise outside of the factory that day.

The Brit spoke about learning Italian last year and hopes that now he can continue to improve his ability to speak in Ferrari's mother tongue. In the video, he can be seen alongside his new teammate Charles Leclerc, a fluent Italian speaker. The eight-time Grand Prix winner looked to be impressed with Hamilton's effort.

Hamilton's first race in a Ferrari will be on March 16 in Melbourne, Australia. The former Mercedes and McLaren driver has won at the Albert Park street circuit two times in his career, and securing a third with Ferrari would be a dream start to his new tenure.