Ferrari now appears as the surprise favorite for the Monaco Grand Prix, despite an irregular start to the 2026 season, due to the particular layout of the track in the streets of the Principality.
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After the Canadian Grand Prix, several rivals now openly acknowledge that Scuderia could have the best car for the streets of Monte Carlo.
This rise of Ferrari especially took shape after the remarkable second place of Lewis Hamilton in Canada, achieved despite the clear top speed deficit suffered by the SF-26.
“Given that Montreal is a circuit where top speed is essential and that we still managed to get this result, it gives me a lot of hope for what’s next,” said Hamilton.
Power handicap
The seven-time world champion continues to insist that Ferrari’s main weakness currently remains the engine, statements that some paddock observers also interpret as a way to discreetly support Ferrari’s efforts within the framework of the FIA’s future ADUO mechanisms.
“We have less power than others around us,” Hamilton explained in Montreal. “Even when we use overboost, others still have more power on the straights.”
But this handicap could become much less penalizing in Monaco, where the straights are extremely limited. Lando Norris also surprised many by leaving Montreal naming Ferrari as the clear favorite for pole position in the Principality.
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A track favorable to the Scuderia
And the head of McLaren Racing, Andrea Stella, fully shares this analysis: “When you look at the GPS data, it’s clear that Ferrari is extremely competitive in the corners. We saw it here in Montreal, especially in the first sector. It is also crucial to get over the curbs well. Ferrari mainly loses time on the straights. But there are practically none in Monaco. That’s why Lando is right to consider Ferrari as the favorite for pole position.”
Monaco could also offer a much more natural environment for drivers under the controversial 2026 Formula 1 regulations. Since the start of the season, many drivers have complained about the extremely complex management of electric energy on circuits requiring a lot of full throttle.
But Stella believes Monaco should limit this problem: “With so many heavy braking zones, drivers will have no trouble recharging the batteries. It will become much more natural for them again. We should be in the mix as well: in its current state of development, the McLaren is more comfortable in slow corners than in fast and medium corners. I see Ferrari as the favorite, but McLaren should also be very competitive.”
First row target for Ferrari
On Ferrari’s side, even Fred Vasseur admits to being surprised by the level of competitiveness shown in Canada: “Honestly, we did not expect to be so competitive. McLaren and Mercedes had brought significant upgrades and we thought we would suffer more. But Hamilton had the pace to fight for the front row in both qualifying sessions. He attacked like crazy and caught up with Max Verstappen. We are pushing hard at the factory to keep improving.”
As Monaco approaches, Ferrari therefore seems to finally have a track perfectly suited to the natural qualities of the SF-26, to the point that even its main rivals are now beginning to consider the Scuderia as the benchmark of the weekend.
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