Ferrari made an encouraging and highly competitive start to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. The SF-26 looked quick and well-balanced from the very beginning of the second practice session, providing what appears to be a solid and reliable foundation on which to build throughout the remainder of the weekend. However, further progress will still be required as the Formula 1 weekend unfolds, especially considering how important this race is for the Maranello team and how much emphasis Ferrari has placed on performing strongly on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo.
The direction taken by Ferrari in practice appears to be the correct one, and the opportunity to unlock additional performance from the car cannot be wasted. While the early signs are undoubtedly encouraging, the feeling remains that the SF-26 still has more pace available than what was fully demonstrated during Friday’s running. As a result, Ferrari can leave FP2 satisfied with the work completed, while also knowing there is still room for further refinement.
Ferrari picks up where it left off
For the opening stages of the session, both SF-26 cars were fitted with Pirelli’s yellow-banded Medium tyres. The choice allowed Ferrari to maintain continuity in its run plan, focusing on setup refinement and helping the drivers maximize their confidence behind the wheel. At Monaco, where every centimetre matters and confidence can be worth tenths of a second, establishing a strong baseline early in the weekend is particularly important.
During the out-laps, the usual instructions arrived over the radio regarding tyre preparation, with particular attention also paid to brake temperatures, which had not yet reached their ideal operating window. Properly managing temperatures around the Principality is always crucial, especially given the stop-and-start nature of the circuit and the limited opportunities available to cool components between corners.
Ferrari immediately looked strong, confirming the stability and excellent rotation already shown in previous outings. The SF-26 appeared responsive through the low-speed sections while remaining predictable over the kerbs and bumps that characterize the Monaco street circuit. Charles Leclerc needed to maximize performance through Sainte Devote, while Lewis Hamilton was losing a small amount of time compared to his teammate at the Rascasse corner.
After a cooldown lap to preserve the tyres and maintain consistent performance, both drivers pushed again. Charles Leclerc encountered heavy traffic at Massenet but kept his foot planted, demonstrating considerable confidence in the car despite the challenging circumstances. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was forced to abandon his second flying lap due to traffic issues, a common occurrence around Monaco where finding clean air is often one of the biggest challenges drivers face throughout the weekend.
The programme continued with a focus on improving driver confidence, and neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton reported any significant concerns at that stage. This was an encouraging sign for Ferrari, as both drivers appeared comfortable with the general balance of the car.
Lewis Hamilton then produced an outstanding lap. A small rear-end slide through the Swimming Pool section cost him some time and briefly unsettled the car, but the seven-time Formula 1 world champion continued pushing and still managed to set the fastest lap of the session. It was a demonstration of both commitment and experience from Lewis Hamilton, who was able to recover from the moment without sacrificing too much time.
Race engineer Carlo Santi congratulated the British driver over the radio and suggested a more effective line through Turn 15. Such details may appear minor, but around Monaco even the smallest adjustment can make a measurable difference over the course of a qualifying lap.
Ferrari fine-tunes the SF-26 setup
After 15 minutes, Lando Norris stopped on track at the exit of the tunnel after his McLaren developed an issue. The British driver was forced to park the car, prompting officials to quickly secure the area and remove the stranded machine.
A Virtual Safety Car period was introduced, forcing Ferrari’s drivers to reduce their pace while attempting to maintain tyre temperatures without returning to the pits. The interruption inevitably altered the rhythm of the session, although it also provided engineers with an opportunity to discuss various adjustments with the drivers.
During this neutralized phase, a steady stream of instructions arrived from the Ferrari pit wall. Most of the discussions focused on differential settings and power unit mappings as the team searched for improved handling characteristics and overall performance. These adjustments are particularly important on a circuit like Monaco, where drivability and traction can often prove more valuable than outright power.
Five minutes later, the session resumed. Lewis Hamilton pushed hard but lifted before the tunnel once again. Charles Leclerc completed his lap and moved to the top of the timing screens. However, the lap was far from perfect, as the Monegasque driver had to correct two noticeable rear-end slides during the run.
Those moments suggested that there was still untapped potential available. Had the lap been cleaner and more precise, Charles Leclerc’s advantage could potentially have been even greater. Charles Leclerc then returned to the pits after extracting the maximum from the Medium tyres, while Lewis Hamilton stayed on track to continue building confidence and identify where he could further exploit the strengths of his SF-26. The British driver appeared particularly focused on understanding the car’s behaviour through some of Monaco’s most technical sectors.
Eventually, Lewis Hamilton surpassed his teammate’s benchmark before heading back to the pit lane as well. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit on a fresh set of Soft tyres as Ferrari moved into the next phase of its programme.
Soft tyres prove difficult, but Ferrari handles them better than rivals
Charles Leclerc’s first lap on the red-banded Soft compound was not particularly impressive. Grip levels appeared less than ideal through the opening sector, where he was unable to gain significant time. The tyres did not seem to deliver peak performance immediately, forcing the Ferrari driver to work harder than expected during the early phase of the run.
It remains unclear whether this was a deliberate strategy to protect the tyres and arrive at the final sector with better performance, reducing the risk of overheating, or whether the tyres simply were not fully in their operating window yet. Either scenario remains plausible given the delicate balance required to maximize the Soft compound around Monaco. The same situation applied to Lewis Hamilton, who also struggled to maximize performance on his initial Soft-tyre run. Like many of his rivals, he appeared unable to unlock the full potential of the compound immediately.
Charles Leclerc voiced frustration about traffic and other technical issues that were not fully specified over the radio. Traffic remained a recurring theme throughout the session and repeatedly prevented drivers from putting together completely representative laps. At this stage of FP2, Lewis Hamilton appeared to have a slightly stronger overall pace. His confidence seemed to be growing with every run, while the setup adjustments requested earlier appeared to be producing positive results.
More broadly, it became evident that almost every team was struggling to extract the best from the Soft tyres, as finding the perfect temperature window proved extremely challenging. The issue was not limited to Ferrari. Several teams experienced similar difficulties, reinforcing the idea that tyre management could become one of the key factors for the remainder of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Traffic remained another major issue throughout the session, repeatedly compromising flying laps and continuing to frustrate Charles Leclerc. On a circuit where qualifying is often decisive, every interrupted lap can significantly affect preparation work. Later in the session, Lewis Hamilton returned to the pits for a quick front-end adjustment. He requested and received an extra click of front wing angle to increase braking stability and improve the overall balance of the SF-26. The modification was aimed at generating additional front-end bite during corner entry while also providing a more predictable feeling under braking.
However, setting faster lap times on increasingly worn Soft tyres became virtually impossible. The tyres had already completed enough mileage to lose a significant portion of their peak performance, making meaningful improvements difficult to achieve.
As a result, both Ferrari drivers were called back into the pits to begin race pace simulations. This phase of the session was particularly important because it allowed Ferrari to gather valuable information regarding tyre degradation, fuel loads and overall consistency over longer runs. Lewis Hamilton accepted the change of programme without hesitation, while Charles Leclerc would have preferred to continue working on outright performance. The Monegasque driver appeared eager to further explore the limits of the SF-26 and continue refining his one-lap pace.
Charles Leclerc was also struggling somewhat with rear brake behaviour and eventually returned to the garage as well. Although the issue did not appear severe, it was clearly something Ferrari wanted to investigate before the start of Saturday’s track action. The final five minutes of the session provided little useful data due to a late red flag. The interruption effectively brought meaningful running to an end and prevented teams from completing some of their planned work.
FP2 therefore ended with Ferrari still looking extremely competitive and comfortably among the fastest teams on track. The SF-26 once again demonstrated strong balance, impressive rotation and encouraging pace around one of the most demanding circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.
Most importantly, Ferrari finished the session at the top of the timesheets while still showing clear signs that additional performance remains available. That combination will likely be one of the most encouraging takeaways for the Maranello team as preparations continue for qualifying and Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
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