Lewis Hamilton walked into the Monza paddock this week sounding like a driver who thinks his Ferrari is finally quick enough.

“It’s always exciting in Monza. It’s the fastest race we get to go to. Last year we didn’t have the car to fight. I think this year we have the car to fight,” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

The optimism is not down to the car alone. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed that the Scuderia will introduce an updated internal combustion engine for the Italian Grand Prix, using the second of the two development slots the FIA granted them under the sport’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities framework, known as ADUO.

“On the performance side, we are introducing an updated power unit as part of the development opportunities available under ADUO,” Vasseur said in Ferrari’s race preview.

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“It represents a step in the right direction and as we know this year is very much about marginal gains.”

Why Ferrari get a second engine slot

Under the current engine regulations, manufacturers whose power units are judged to sit more than 4% behind the benchmark are handed extra homologation windows to close the gap. Ferrari were more than 4% adrift of Red Bull Powertrains at the reference point, which qualified them for two development opportunities this season. Monza is the second and last of them.

A new turbo and a Shell fuel blend

The new specification, designated internally as the 067/7, brings a revised combustion chamber and a redesigned turbocharger, according to Motorsport.com. It is paired with a new fuel blend developed by Shell.

Ferrari’s own simulations put the package at roughly 15 horsepower, the kind of margin that matters at a circuit built almost entirely from long, flat-out straights.

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Vasseur has already tried to manage expectations on where the upgrade lands relative to the top of the field, telling reporters that catching Mercedes on outright power was not realistic and that “we’re talking about one or two tenths per lap of difference coming from the engine” at the front.

Hamilton’s second Monza in red

This is Hamilton’s second Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver. He arrives 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with 11 rounds still to run.

A win at the Tifosi’s cathedral would be by far the most emotionally charged result of Hamilton’s Ferrari career so far, and he has made no attempt to play down what the home crowd means to him.

“It’s amazing to be here. This is the second year and to see you all here is incredible. To see you all here is overwhelming. I love the Tifosi,” Hamilton said.

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Vasseur, in the same preview, framed the weekend as something more than a normal race.

“Racing in front of our tifosi gives the whole team incredible energy and this year there will be an additional emotional dimension as we celebrate Michael Schumacher.”

Ferrari will run a Schumacher tribute livery over the weekend. The race is on Sunday, 6 September.

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