Hamilton brings mother to Ferrari's Milan event and wins the internet ahead of Italian GP

Lewis Hamilton turned a pre-race fan event into a family moment on Thursday, bringing his mother Carmen Larbalestier out onto a balcony overlooking Milan’s Duomo at a Ferrari gathering ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The crowd below erupted in cheers, and the clip spread rapidly across social media.

Reactions online were overwhelmingly warm. “Lewis is really making me feel like a bad son. My mom deserves this too,” one fan wrote on Reddit. Others called it “wholesome af” and praised Hamilton as “a genuinely decent person.” Several Ferrari supporters noted that the moment captured something particular about what it means to drive for the Scuderia: “Yeah this is why being a Ferrari driver will always be special.”

Larbalestier has also developed a reputation among fans as something of a good-luck charm. Her first appearance in the paddock coincided with the Chinese Grand Prix in March — which also fell on Mother’s Day — where Hamilton claimed his first Ferrari podium with a third-place finish. She was trackside again at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he crossed the line in second.

“It’s the best feeling to be a Ferrari driver,” Hamilton told reporters when asked about racing at Monza for the second time in red. “It’s such an honour and a privilege to arrive in Italy at this iconic race with the most iconic and best team in the world. It’s really phenomenal to experience it for the second year in a row, and it still feels new. So, it’s not something you can get used to.”

On the championship standings, Hamilton faces a steep climb heading into Ferrari’s home race. He sits 59 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, who has accumulated 242 points this season. Team-mate George Russell is second on 183 points, level with Hamilton in the standings.