May 26 (GMM) Ferrari has emerged as a surprise favourite for Monaco despite an inconsistent start to 2026 – with even rivals now openly admitting the Italian team may have the fastest car for the streets of Monte Carlo.
The prediction gathered momentum after the Canadian GP, where Lewis Hamilton delivered a strong P2 despite Ferrari’s widely acknowledged straight-line deficit.
“Considering this is a real straight-line-speed circuit and we just managed to hold on and get this result, that definitely gives me high hopes for what’s ahead,” Hamilton said.
The seven-time world champion has repeatedly insisted Ferrari’s biggest weakness remains its power unit – comments some paddock insiders believe may also help the team’s lobbying for looming ADUO assistance from the FIA.
“We have less power than the others around us,” Hamilton declared in Montreal.
“Even if we have the overtake, they still have more power on the straights.”
That weakness may matter far less in Monaco.
Lando Norris surprised many by leaving Canada openly calling Ferrari the clear favourite for pole position next weekend.
And Andrea Stella agrees.
“Looking at the GPS data, it’s clear that Ferrari is very competitive in the corners,” said the McLaren boss. “We saw that here in Montreal in the first sector.”
“It’s also crucial to get over the kerbs well. Ferrari loses most of its time on the straights.”
“But there aren’t many of those in Monaco. That’s why Lando is right to see Ferrari as the favourite for pole position.”
Monaco may also provide a much more natural feeling for drivers under Formula 1’s controversial 2026 regulations after ongoing complaints about energy management at power-sensitive circuits.
“With so many hard braking points, the drivers won’t have any trouble recharging their batteries there,” Stella explained.
“It will feel more natural to them again.”
“For the cars, however, it will be a completely new challenge.”
Stella also believes McLaren itself should be highly competitive. “In its current state of development, the McLaren is better suited to slow corners than medium and high-speed corners,” he admitted.
“I see Ferrari as the favourite, but McLaren should also be competitive.”
Meanwhile Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur admitted even he was surprised by the team’s competitiveness in Montreal.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect to be in such good shape,” Vasseur said. “McLaren and Mercedes brought big updates, and we expected to struggle a bit.”
“But Hamilton had the speed to fight for the front row in both qualifying sessions. He pushed like crazy and caught Verstappen. We’re pushing at the factory to continue improving.”
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