"Now we have a North Star," declares Lewis Hamilton, as the seven-time world champion talks of renewed spirit at Maranello.

Like Monza, Ferrari has a long history that goes back further than Formula One itself, and can therefore be forgiven for exploiting the fact every now and then.

However, ignoring the fact that 'living in the past' usually causes teams to take their eye off the ball, one has to wonder if this weekend's 'celebration' of Michael Schumacher's legacy isn't just another marketing exercise, another way of parting the sport's new fans with their hard-earned.

That said, joint-second in the standings with his former teammate, Lewis Hamilton heads into his second weekend with the Monza home team confident of a newfound determination at Ferrari.

"It's the best feeling to be a Ferrari driver," said Hamilton who arrived in the Monza paddock with his prized, newly restored F40, and sporting the same sartorial look as when he made his debut appearance at Fiorano, think 'wise guy'.

"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," he continued. "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."

This weekend, the Briton and his teammate will have access to the latest engine upgrade from Ferrari.

"Every little helps, every little helps," he smiled.

"Up until this point we've been losing," he continued, "even in the last race, on such a short circuit, we were losing four-tenths a lap through the race, that's a huge deficit and we've carried that through the year to this point.

"What I can say is I really, really am proud of when I go back to the factory and I see how hard everyone is working, that they're really just heads down. Everyone's so enthusiastic.

"I see a different focus this year to last year," said the Briton, who has himself undergone a major turnaround over the last twelve months. "Last year I felt like there wasn't really a North Star, and we were kind of, I think doing the best we could, but not really knowing where exactly we were trying to aim for.

"Now we have a North Star," he smiled, "we know where we need to work towards, and I think they've done a tremendous job to really pull together and deliver.

"This is a step forward," he insisted. "It's not the whole gap that we need, but we knew that would be the case. But to see bits coming each weekend, adding to the car, it's exciting to see that we are pushing. I strongly still believe that we've got what it takes to win."

However, having what it takes and seeing it through are different things entirely, especially when you consider Ferrari's record in terms of strategy.

"l strongly believe that the team has what it takes to win," he reiterated.

However, and at Ferrari there is always a however...

"At this level, how close it is up front, I think for us to win this weekend, and any weekend, it takes the whole collective to come together. It's not just one thing, everything has to flow from the beginning."