Lewis Hamilton looks ahead to the Monaco GP with confidence, although he does add a clear caveat. The seven-time world champion hopes to fight for victory with Ferrari this weekend, but points out that the team still has a significant deficit in engine power compared to Mercedes, which has been dominant so far in the new season. His old team remains unbeaten in 2026.
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Ferrari started 2026 solidly, with multiple podiums in the first three races, presenting the team better than in the difficult 2025 season. However, the Scuderia has not yet managed to consistently connect with the top, despite a series of upgrades earlier this year. Hamilton’s second place in Canada – his best result so far in Ferrari colors – underlined the progress, although frustration remained over the power difference in the chase of Max Verstappen. The Brit clearly feels more comfortable in the SF-26, but still sees a fundamental disadvantage.
Power issue
Looking ahead to Monaco, Hamilton sees opportunities due to the unique character of the street circuit. “Monaco is the only circuit where power is not everything,” he said to the media. “It’s mainly about the pure performance of the car there. That’s why our car could be very strong there. I’m really going to focus on starting with the same energy as last weekend in Canada. In addition, I want to work closely with the engineers to make sure we are in good shape from the first free practice.”
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At the same time, the power difference remains a recurring problem. “If you remove the power difference, we could fight with Mercedes, but unfortunately that is not the case yet.” The new technical regulations, including the ADUO program, offer hope for the future according to Hamilton. “Even if you use the overtaking mode, you get within a second, but they still pull away. They have that much power, and we are that far behind. But I really hope these new ADUO rules will allow us to improve performance so we can fight with them again.” Despite the deficit, the Brit looks positively at the street circuit. “But Monaco has to be fun,” he concluded meaningfully.
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