Lewis Hamilton Brings His Mum to Italian GP in Search of ‘Lucky Dust’ for Ferrari F1

Lewis Hamilton has recruited the most important member of Ferrari‘s support crew for the Italian Grand Prix: his mum, Carmen Larbalestier. Hamilton admitted that his mother had not previously attended Monza or even seen a Ferrari race at home, prompting him to invite her to experience the full event and potentially bring some of her ‘lucky dust’ to help improve Ferrari’s chances this weekend.

That may sound like a joke, but Monza is not a normal stop on the Formula 1 calendar. It is Ferrari’s house party, with tens of thousands of Tifosi turning the circuit into a sea of red. The 2026 race runs from September 4-6, with the Grand Prix on Sunday, September 6.

[Scuderia Ferrari HP] Biggest cheer of the day!
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Hamilton’s Mum Becomes the New Ferrari Attraction

The family’s journey started in Milan yesterday during Ferrari’s fan event titled “Drive to Monza by Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%”. Hamilton appeared with teammate Charles Leclerc and Larbalestier at Palazzo Reale, where she stepped onto the balcony and received a huge response from the crowd. A video shared on social media featured Hamilton revealing his mother alongside Leclerc, and the response was overwhelming.

During Thursday’s FIA pre-race press conference, the seven-time champion talked about his mum.

“Well, my point was that I strongly believe that the team has what it takes to win. And at this level, how close it is at the front, I think for us to win this weekend, and any weekend, it takes the whole collective has to come together. It’s not just one thing. Everything has to flow from the beginning.

“And I’ve really thought coming into this weekend, as I pondered, just thinking of the sheer magnitude of the concept that I’m coming to this Grand Prix. I didn’t even know that I was equal with Michael in wins, for example, but the thought of that, that there’s a first ahead of me in a sense of potentially… But if I was to win, you go into new territory, winning in Monza for the first time with Ferrari is something… I’ve witnessed Charles win, obviously, in 2019 when I was on the podium with him. But to do it whilst I’m here would be phenomenal.

“And probably the thought of, if I did do that, probably will be the only black driver to ever do that for Ferrari in Italy, probably in history, maybe. And so just a lot of those thoughts have been through my mind. And so the pressure is high and you also want to deliver for the team. There are all those people at the factory, many of them will get to come to this race. The Tifosi who come out in huge numbers and the passion is unmatched, and you want to deliver for them as well.

“And my mum’s here this weekend because she’s never experienced – she’s never actually, I don’t think, been to Monza – but also particularly on a Ferrari weekend. And I wanted her to experience that and, you know, bring any of the lucky dust she can bring.”

Ferrari Has Given Hamilton Something to Fight For

Hamilton’s optimism is based partly on the car. Speaking to fans in Milan, he said Ferrari did not have a machine capable of fighting at Monza in 2025, but believes the 2026 car can compete at the very front. He also described Ferrari’s newer direction as more focused than last year’s approach, even if there’s still quite a large performance gap between it and the Mercedes machines.

Whether Carmen Larbalestier is really Hamilton’s lucky charm remains beside the point. Ferrari has brought its biggest star to its biggest home stage, and Hamilton has brought the person he wants beside him when the pressure peaks. If the car is finally good enough, a little family superstition certainly will not hurt.