Hamilton backs Ferrari for Monaco — but power deficit remains a pressing concern

A circuit tailor-made for the SF-26

Lewis Hamilton has expressed strong confidence in Ferrari's chances at the Monaco Grand Prix, arguing that the unique nature of the Monte Carlo street circuit strips away the power advantage that has been hurting the Scuderia elsewhere this season.

Hamilton heads to the Principality on the back of his best result in Ferrari colours — a second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal — and the momentum could not have come at a better time. The SF-26 is widely regarded as one of the finest chassis on the grid this season, if not the outright best, making Monaco's low-speed, downforce-heavy layout a potentially ideal hunting ground.

Hamilton, for his part, is leaving nothing to chance in his preparation. "I'm really going to focus on making sure I arrive with the same energy as I had this weekend, really study hard with the engineers to make sure we position the car in the right place from Practice 1," he added.

The power deficit: a problem Hamilton wants fixed

For all the optimism surrounding Monaco, Hamilton was also candid about the limitations that have constrained Ferrari on faster circuits — and his desire to see them addressed.

The 41-year-old has been vocal throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend about the need for more power from Ferrari's unit, and he doubled down on that message ahead of Monaco. "If you take away the power deficit, we're in the fight with these guys," he said. "But unfortunately, that's not the way it is today."

The raw frustration in his words was hard to miss: "I'm like, '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. And 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. Even when you get the overtake, you get within a second, they still pull away. So that's how much grunt that they have, and we're massively down."

Hamilton, however, is hopeful that Ferrari's situation will improve through the ADUO — Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities — programme, a mechanism that offers manufacturers a path to address performance shortfalls during the season. For more context on what the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix weekend holds in store, Ferrari's chassis strength looks set to be a central talking point throughout the week.

"I really hope with this new rule that enables us to try to improve some performance, so we can get back in the fight with them," Hamilton concluded. "But Monaco should be fun."

For now, the three-time Monaco Grand Prix winner arrives on the streets of Monte Carlo with genuine belief — and a circuit that, for once, may allow Ferrari's strengths to shine without the shadow of a power deficit looming over every straight.