Leading Free Practice 2 in Monaco, Lewis Hamilton nevertheless refuses to get carried away. The Briton believes that Ferrari still has room for improvement before Saturday’s decisive qualifying session.
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Ferrari sent a strong signal to the competition on the first day of the Monaco Grand Prix. After seeing Charles Leclerc dominate the first free practice session, Lewis Hamilton responded by setting the best time in FP2.
The seven-time world champion was only 0.111 seconds ahead of his teammate, thus confirming the great competitiveness of the SF-26 in the streets of the Principality. This performance further strengthens the Scuderia’s status as favorite for pole position, a particularly crucial exercise in Monaco where overtakes remain extremely complicated.
For Hamilton, this best time also represents a small personal satisfaction. It is indeed his first domination of a Friday afternoon free practice session since the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton, however, refuses to claim victory
Despite this encouraging day, the Ferrari driver remains cautious. The Briton believes that the Italian team has not yet reached its full potential and that several details still need to be optimized before the qualifying session.
“Overall, it was a positive day and the car performed well from the first laps,” explained Hamilton.
The British driver also praised the work done by the engineers between the two sessions.
“The team did a good job with the changes we made between the two sessions, and we were able to follow our program without encountering any major problems.”
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A unique circuit that forgives nothing
As every year, Monaco imposes very particular constraints on drivers and teams. Between the bumps, the kerbs, and the permanent proximity of the rails, finding the ideal setup is often a headache.
Hamilton knows that the gaps are tiny and that a simple mistake can cost several places on the grid.
“Monaco always represents a very particular challenge, with the bumps and the proximity of the barriers. It’s never easy to find the right balance and put everything together.”
This analysis is all the more relevant as Max Verstappen remained in contention throughout the day. The Red Bull driver finished less than two tenths off the best time, suggesting a very tight battle for pole.
A night of work before qualifying
While Ferrari finished this Friday in a strong position, Hamilton insists that nothing is decided yet. According to him, several areas can still be improved before the most important session of the weekend.
“There is still performance to be found and we will focus on the details tonight, as the gaps are extremely small here. There is still a lot of work to be done before qualifying.”
A clear message sent to his rivals: Ferrari is fast, but the Scuderia does not intend to relax its efforts. In Monaco more than anywhere else, every thousandth of a second can make the difference between pole position and the second row.
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