Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari still has significant ground to make up on Mercedes after witnessing the performance of the W17 up close during the Monaco Grand Prix. While the Scuderia secured another strong result, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion admitted that Mercedes’ advantage in key performance areas was impossible to ignore.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli dominates with a “beast” of a car
“The car was a beast today.” Those were the words of Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the post-race celebrations after a commanding victory in the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver controlled the race from start to finish and showcased the impressive capabilities of the W17 on a circuit that, on paper, was not expected to suit a car whose greatest strength had previously been its power unit.
Mercedes’ pace throughout the weekend surprised many observers, but for Lewis Hamilton, who had the opportunity to race directly against Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the superiority of the Silver Arrows became even more apparent.
Lewis Hamilton sees Mercedes pull away
Lewis Hamilton lined up alongside Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the second restart of the race and briefly believed he might have an opportunity to challenge for the lead. However, the Ferrari driver quickly realised just how competitive the Mercedes package was.
“We got away almost equally,” Lewis Hamilton explained during the post-race press conference. “I gained a little bit of ground and got right up to his rear wheel, but it wasn’t enough to take the lead. Then, as the laps went by, I watched him pull away. Their performance is on another level.”
The British driver admitted that racing so closely behind the leading Mercedes gave him valuable insight into Ferrari’s current limitations.
“It was actually a useful experience because it gave me a much clearer idea of where the team needs to focus and improve, not only based on what I feel inside the car but also based on what I can see. There are many areas where we need to improve,” Lewis Hamilton added.
Downforce and traction remain Ferrari’s weak points
According to Lewis Hamilton, the most obvious difference between the two cars was visible in aerodynamic load and traction performance.
“Mercedes are clearly ahead of us when it comes to downforce,” he said. “In terms of traction, the difference between us and them was like night and day. Hopefully we can improve our performance. I know everyone back at the factory is working extremely hard.”
Those comments underline one of Ferrari’s key development priorities as the team continues its pursuit of Mercedes in the championship battle.
Major Ferrari upgrades set for Barcelona
The good news for Ferrari is that reinforcements are already on the way. Team principal Frederic Vasseur had previously revealed during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend that a significant upgrade package is scheduled to debut at the upcoming Barcelona race.
The package is expected to address several of the weaknesses that have limited the SF-26 compared to its main rivals. Following Lewis Hamilton’s assessment in Monaco, attention will now turn to whether Ferrari’s latest developments can reduce the gap to Mercedes and help the Scuderia take another step forward in the fight at the front of the grid.
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