Lando Norris expects Ferrari to be the big favorite during the upcoming Monaco GP. Despite Mercedes’ dominant start to the season, having won the first five races of 2026, the McLaren driver thinks that Ferrari’s strong performance in the slow corners could be decisive for pole position on the iconic street circuit. The last three editions have been won from the first starting position.
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Mercedes currently sets the standard in Formula 1, with five consecutive wins: one credited to George Russell and four consecutive victories by Kimi Antonelli. Yet Norris does not automatically see the Silberpfeile as the favorite to win in Monaco. “Monaco was also a circuit where we did well last year,” said the McLaren driver to the media in Montreal. Last year he himself claimed the ‘crown jewel’. “Honestly, I think Ferrari will be on pole position that weekend. Their performance in the slow corners is much better than that of everyone else.”
‘Looking forward to Barcelona’
Despite this, the Brit looks forward to the race weekend in the principality. “I’m looking forward to Monaco because it’s Monaco,” he continued. “I had success there last year; it was one of my best and most exciting weekends.” At the same time, he remains cautious about McLaren’s current chances. “On the circuits where we struggle, that doesn’t give me the confidence to say we will perform great.”
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According to Norris, it will only become clear later how much gain McLaren gets from the recent upgrade package. He is especially looking forward to Barcelona. “We are still optimistic, it’s clear that a good step forward has been made,” he said based on recent results in Canada. “But this is a very special circuit and Monaco is, again, a very unique challenge. So I’m mainly curious to see how we will do in Barcelona.”
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