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Sir Lewis Hamilton experienced a massive culture shock when he moved to Formula One team Ferrari – although he is happy he no longer has to endure the smell of curry on race days.
The seven-time Formula One world champion got used to working with a largely British garage when driving for McLaren and Mercedes before making the switch to Ferrari in 2025, for which he now spends most of his time in Maranello, Italy.
Lewis, 40, admits the culture is totally different with his Italian team making time for a lengthy lunch each day, but one thing he doesn’t miss is the strong smell of spices and garlic on a Sunday morning, which was what would enter his nostrils because his British technical team and mechanics would always go for a curry on a Saturday night before race day.
Ahead of the British Grand Prix this Sunday (06.07.25), Lewis made an appearance in London week to mark the grand opening of The House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 and spilled about how his life has changed since becoming a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver to Nick Grimshaw.
He said: “The Brits loved curry, my British team they would always have a curry so like on Sunday morning when they’d come into the race they’d literally stink, they all smelled of curry in the morning, garlic was just in our engineering room all the time.
“They weren’t passionate about food otherwise. Italians? Oh my God. There’s literally a scheduled time in the day, lunch they can never, ever miss.
“Sometimes I go into the garage to talk to my mechanics, I’m like, where is everyone? They’re at lunch.
“I think they’re the only team that does that!”
Lewis has won the British Grand Prix nine times and been on the race’s podium 11 times throughout his illustrious career.
And despite having zero podium places so far out of the 11 races this season, Lewis is hoping for a “strong result” at his beloved Silverstone track.
Speaking at a media day on Thursday (03.07.25), he optimistically said: “There is always magic here at Silverstone.
“It is a very, very special race, and I am hoping all sorts of things can help us. I am hoping and praying.
“I cannot wait for Friday. Driving a Ferrari at Silverstone for the first time will be special and unique in its own way. We have the best fans here, and for a British driver, they really do make a difference.”
Following Lewis launching The House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0, the attraction is open until July 5 and features a full schedule of immersive fan experiences with highlights including a pizza masterclass with 50 Top Pizza Europa no.1 Pizza Chef Michele Pascarella, and a cocktail-making workshop hosted by award-winning mixologist Federico Riezzo. Here, guests can learn to create pizzas and drinks inspired by Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
