Lewis Hamilton heads into the Monaco Grand Prix convinced it represents Ferrari's strongest opportunity yet to take the fight to Mercedes — and his reasoning comes down to one circuit-specific truth.
Speaking after a Canadian Grand Prix he described as his best and happiest weekend in Ferrari colours, Hamilton argued that Monaco strips away the single biggest weakness of his car. "That's the one track where power is not king," the seven-time champion said. "I think that's definitely car performance. I think our car could be really strong there."
The remark cuts to the heart of Ferrari's 2026 season. The team has consistently shown a strong chassis paired with an engine that gives away significant straight-line speed to the dominant Mercedes — a deficit Hamilton has felt acutely from the cockpit. "If you take away the power deficit, we're in the fight with these guys," he said.
His description of chasing the Mercedes-powered cars was vivid and pointed. "I need more power somehow, because I'm able to hold on or keep up with them through the corners and I can't push the pedal any further," Hamilton explained. "You see them just eking out the straight and you catch them back in the brakes, they eke it out in the straight. It's really hard."
Monaco, with its near-total absence of long straights, removes that equation almost entirely. The principality is defined by slow corners, traction zones and single-lap precision — precisely the areas where Ferrari has looked competitive all year. It is why the wider paddock, including rival drivers and team bosses, has tipped the Scuderia as the favourite for the weekend.
Hamilton is also carrying genuine momentum. His Canadian weekend was a turning point in a difficult first half of the season, and he made clear he intends to bottle that feeling and carry it to Monte Carlo, focusing on arriving with the same energy and studying hard with his engineers to position the car correctly from the very first practice session.
There is a note of realism, too: Monaco is not historically Hamilton's strongest circuit, and he shares a garage with Charles Leclerc, a driver widely regarded as the modern master of the streets. But after months of being out-dragged down the straights, Hamilton's verdict on the weekend ahead was refreshingly simple. "Monaco," he said, "should be fun."
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