Lewis Hamilton’s impressive run of form continued at the Monaco Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver climbing to second place in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship after securing another runner-up finish in Monte Carlo.
The seven-time world champion delivered his second consecutive podium, taking full advantage of a difficult weekend for several of his closest rivals. George Russell once again failed to score heavily, while Charles Leclerc’s race ended prematurely after a late crash, allowing Lewis Hamilton to move ahead of both drivers in the championship standings.
It marks a significant turnaround for the British driver. At the start of the season, many expected Mercedes teammates Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to dominate the title battle, especially after the team’s exceptional pace in the opening rounds. While Andrea Kimi Antonelli has continued to strengthen his grip on the championship, George Russell’s campaign has been disrupted by reliability issues, penalties and missed opportunities.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, has quietly built momentum.
Consistency has become one of the Ferrari driver’s greatest strengths in recent races. Even when Ferrari has lacked the outright speed to challenge for victories, Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly maximised the available result, collecting valuable points and steadily climbing the standings.
When informed after the Monaco Grand Prix that he had moved into second place in the championship, Lewis Hamilton admitted that the achievement came as a surprise. After several difficult years and an often-challenging transition to Ferrari, finding himself back near the top of the standings represents an important milestone in his recovery.
However, despite the positive result, Lewis Hamilton was realistic about Ferrari’s current position compared to Mercedes.
The Monaco weekend was expected to play into Ferrari’s hands. The unique characteristics of the Principality circuit traditionally reduce the importance of engine power while rewarding mechanical grip, chassis balance and driver confidence. Many paddock observers even considered Ferrari the favourite heading into the event.
Instead, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes delivered a commanding performance.
Before the Safety Car intervention and subsequent red flag, the Mercedes driver had already established a massive advantage over the chasing pack. Even after the race was neutralised and the field compressed, Andrea Kimi Antonelli immediately rebuilt his lead once racing resumed.
The scale of Mercedes’ superiority was impossible to ignore.
For Lewis Hamilton, the race served as another reminder that Ferrari still has considerable work to do before it can consistently challenge for victories. Although securing second place was a strong result, the gap to the race-winning Mercedes highlighted the performance deficit that still exists between the two teams.
The Ferrari driver indicated that the Scuderia hopes to introduce further developments in the coming races, with Barcelona expected to provide an important opportunity to evaluate new components and upgrades.
Lewis Hamilton remains optimistic that Ferrari can continue reducing the gap, but he also acknowledged that Mercedes currently operates at an exceptionally high level. The Briton praised his former team for producing such a competitive package and recognised how difficult it is to defeat Mercedes when everything is working perfectly.
That respect was evident throughout the Monaco weekend. Having spent more than a decade with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton understands exactly how dangerous the Brackley-based squad can be when it combines a strong power unit, an efficient aerodynamic package and elite driver performances.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is now providing exactly that.
The young Italian has emerged as the standout performer of the 2026 Formula 1 season, collecting five consecutive victories and establishing a significant championship lead. His Monaco triumph further strengthened his status as the driver to beat.
For Ferrari, there are still encouraging signs. Lewis Hamilton continues to look increasingly comfortable in the SF-26 and has now delivered several strong weekends in succession. His performances against Charles Leclerc have also improved dramatically compared to the early stages of his Ferrari career.
Had Charles Leclerc avoided his late retirement, Ferrari might have celebrated a valuable double podium finish in Monaco. Instead, the team leaves the Principality with mixed emotions: satisfaction over Lewis Hamilton’s result but frustration at the overall pace deficit to Mercedes.
As Formula 1 heads to Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton occupies second place in the Drivers’ Championship and has firmly established himself as Ferrari’s leading title contender. Yet while that achievement reflects his resurgence, the bigger challenge remains unchanged.
Ferrari still needs more performance if it wants to close the gap to Mercedes. For now, Lewis Hamilton can enjoy another podium and a rise up the standings, but both driver and team know that the ultimate objective is not second place—it is finding a way to stop Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes from running away with the 2026 Formula 1 title.
Leave a Reply