Lewis Hamilton admitted he was “devastated” after finishing sixth in the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with the Ferrari driver reflecting on both the team’s lack of competitiveness and his costly opening-lap battle with Charles Leclerc. Hamilton believes Ferrari would have been in a much stronger position had the two drivers simply held their places instead of fighting through the opening chicane.
The British driver recovered impressively after being forced into the gravel early in the race and at one stage climbed as high as third. However, Ferrari ultimately lacked the pace required to remain at the front, leaving Lewis Hamilton 24 seconds behind race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli despite the Mercedes driver having started from 19th on the grid.
Lewis Hamilton loses ground after costly Monza opening lap
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton started from the second row of the Italian Grand Prix, creating expectations that Ferrari could attack the leading positions by taking advantage of Monza’s powerful slipstream effect.
Instead, the two Ferrari drivers fought each other through the first chicane. Charles Leclerc did not leave Lewis Hamilton enough room on the exit, sending his team-mate into the gravel and dropping Hamilton from fourth to 11th place. Charles Leclerc later gave his own account of the opening-lap Ferrari battle, explaining how close the two cars had been through Turns 1 and 2.
Lewis Hamilton then began a recovery drive and at one point found himself running third, but Ferrari’s limited competitiveness ultimately meant he could go no higher than sixth. The result formed part of a difficult home Grand Prix for the Scuderia, with the wider Italian GP outcome leaving Ferrari with valuable points lost at Monza.
Hamilton has therefore lost further ground in the Drivers’ Championship and now sits 79 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the driver who succeeded him at Mercedes. The latest championship picture can also be followed in the Formula 1 driver standings.
Lewis Hamilton ‘devastated’ after difficult Ferrari P6
“Obviously I’m devastated by the result,” Lewis Hamilton told Sky UK. “We worked hard at the factory to bring the upgrades and reduce the gap… But I just didn’t have it and it was a very difficult sixth place.”
Hamilton admitted that Ferrari would need to examine the weekend closely after failing to match the pace of the leading cars.
“It’ll be one of those races we walk away from and think about what we could have done better, but we’re simply not at the level of the guys ahead.”
The comments underline Hamilton’s disappointment after Ferrari arrived at Monza with new developments and hopes of reducing its deficit. The team’s broader attempt to improve the SF-26 for its home race had been a major focus throughout the weekend, but the final result fell short of those expectations.
Lewis Hamilton says holding position would have helped Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton was also asked about his first-lap battle with Charles Leclerc and made it clear that his main concern had been Ferrari’s overall result rather than the individual fight between the two drivers.
“I was only thinking about the team. Clearly, we were both in a decent position… If we had held position, we would have been in a much better position. We lost a lot of ground…”
The opening-lap confrontation immediately compromised Hamilton’s race by forcing him into a recovery drive. With Charles Leclerc later retiring from the Grand Prix, Ferrari ultimately left Monza with far fewer points than had appeared possible when both cars lined up near the front of the grid.
“Scoring so few points for the team is really sad,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
For Hamilton, sixth place represented another difficult result in his first Ferrari season and further increased his championship deficit. His reaction also highlighted the frustration surrounding a home Grand Prix in which the Scuderia had arrived hoping to challenge much closer to the front.
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