Lewis Hamilton has discussed Ferrari’s chances of being competitive at the Monaco Grand Prix, while also revealing whether he used the simulator to prepare for one of the most demanding weekends on the Formula 1 calendar.
The seven-time world champion spoke ahead of the Monaco event about the reasons why Ferrari could be particularly strong around the streets of Monte Carlo. Lewis Hamilton also returned to the topic of simulator work, answering questions about whether he had used it as part of his preparation for the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton is preparing for a race weekend in which much of the spotlight will inevitably fall on Charles Leclerc, the hometown favourite and newly re-signed Ferrari driver. From a media perspective, the Monegasque will naturally attract much of the attention, but the Briton knows that outperforming his teammate could further increase expectations around Ferrari’s championship ambitions.
Many observers believe Ferrari has a genuine opportunity to fight for victory in Monaco. However, to achieve that goal, the Scuderia will still need to overcome Mercedes, which has been the benchmark team for much of the 2026 season.
Hamilton: “Our car performs well in low-speed corners”
“I would say that this circuit is probably better suited to us than some of the tracks we have visited recently because our car performs well at low speeds. For that reason, I think we will be competitive.
“We will need to pay particular attention to Mercedes’ latest upgrade package because in Miami they proved to be extremely fast precisely in the low-speed sections,” Hamilton explained.
The Ferrari driver also reflected on the work taking place behind the scenes since joining the Scuderia: “Sometimes people do not realise the enormous amount of work that happens in the background and that a driver has to do when joining a new project. I arrived at a team that already has everything required to be successful; it was simply a matter of putting all the pieces in the right place.
“Working with Fred Vasseur and the engineers is proving extremely helpful. I am finally starting to see the first results of this process, and it is fantastic to feel like an active part of helping move things in the right direction,” Hamilton added.
When asked about his preparation for Monaco and whether he had spent time in the simulator, Hamilton admitted he was approaching the weekend without that additional preparation: “I have no idea. I have not been on the simulator, so I do not yet know what it will be like to drive here. One thing I am sure about is that this will be the circuit with the highest level of aerodynamic downforce that we will face all season.
“It will be a pure adaptation exercise, and we will need to do a good job of finding the limit right from the very first sessions,” Hamilton concluded.
Leave a Reply