Lewis Hamilton has been struggling in his debut season with Ferrari.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle witnessed a “happier” Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix. The British driver appeared more vibrant and energised, drawing inspiration from Ferrari’s passionate Tifosi supporters at their home circuit as he tackled Monza for the first time with his new team.

It has been a challenging maiden campaign with Ferrari for Hamilton. Apart from his triumph in the sprint event at the Chinese Grand Prix in March, there have been precious few bright moments as the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has battled to adjust to his fresh environment and different racing car.

The lowest point arrived at the final race before the summer interval, the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Briton branded himself “useless” following a disappointing qualifying performance.

However, matters have improved since that brief respite, with Hamilton departing Zandvoort at the close of August, maintaining an optimistic outlook despite his crash exit from the contest.

He appeared even more upbeat at Monza, where he drew strength from the atmosphere created by tens of thousands of roaring Tifosi urging Ferrari and their pilots forward.

This enabled him to bounce back from a five-place grid penalty inherited from the Zandvoort encounter, climbing from 10th on the starting grid to claim sixth place.

After watching his compatriot closely, Brundle reckons Hamilton has experienced a “mindset adjustment” in recent weeks that has restored his enjoyment of racing.

He penned in his Sky Sports column: “Lewis Hamilton was carrying a five-place grid drop for speeding indiscretions going to the grid in Zandvoort, which frankly were a fair cop, and he would start 10th. But once again coming through the pack as he did at Silverstone and other races, we would witness Lewis driving as we remember from years previous.

“All round he looked more comfortable in the car, and seems to have had a mindset adjustment of making the best of what he has instead of being frustrated that he has not got a race-winning car underneath him. He is probably also come to terms with just how fast Charles Leclerc is. It was nice to observe Lewis looking happier.”

Whilst Hamilton certainly appears to possess a fresh perspective on his circumstances, he still faces challenges when it comes to settling into his Ferrari machinery.

Even at Monza, he acknowledged that driving with the technique required to extract maximum performance from his car remains “alien” to him.

The 40-year-old explained: “I think what is clear for me is that, look, I know I have been driving this car all year long, but in my previous years, I was a part of a car that you are evolving over time. You are comfortable with it, and know the driving style inside and out.

“This year I am arriving at the track and having to apply this new driving style that is still alien to me. It does not feel natural. To a car, that is how it likes to work, so through the race, I am just getting better and better and faster and faster, and unlocking with that a gain of confidence.”