Mario Andretti has given an Italian twang with a new nickname following his move to Ferrari. The seven-time world champion will drive alongside in Formula One next season.

Hamilton has talked of being revitalised by his switch from Ferrari. The 40-year-old will battle for a record eighth world title this year.

Settling in with his new team has been a seamless task for Hamilton. He has immersed himself in the Italian culture and is keen to learn the language.

That has earned him the nickname 'Luigi' from F1 legend Andretti, who cannot wait to see how Hamilton's battle with Leclerc unfolds over the coming months.

"Can you imagine the interest that the fans have just to see what's going to happen there? How is he going to fare vis-a-vis Charles Leclerc, who has been there for a long time and is very experienced and so forth?" Andretti told .

"But I'm sure that Lewis is not shy of embracing challenges. I'm going to call him Luigi from now on!"

Hamilton will be desperate to be Ferrari's main driver - but Leclerc has been with the team since 2019. Andretti says the two drivers will find the competition between them a "challenge", but believes the only winner of the battle will be Ferrari.

He continued: "It's going to be a challenge for both of them, and that's what the sport is all about. Ferrari is ultimately the one that's going to benefit the most. You have two individuals that I feel are both capable of winning, no question, and what better place to be in if you're on a team?"

Hamilton joked last week that he had already raised concerns over fitting into a Ferrari car after eating too much pizza in Italy. He is a huge fan of the country's cuisine and demolished three pizzas in a single week.

"The honest truth is I've had already quite a few pizzas, but somehow I've lost weight. Last week I had three pizzas. I love Italian food. I always have," Hamilton said.

"I'm gonna have to watch my diet. That's going to be hard. I've got to be careful. I can't eat pizzas all year long, otherwise I won't fit in the car."

Hamilton's Ferrari career will get underway at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16.