Lewis Hamilton appeared relatively happy with his P3 in qualifying, although part of this would have been because he beat his teammate, Charles Leclerc. After six Grand Prix qualifying sessions this season, the head-to-head tally between the Scuderia drivers stands deadlocked at 3–3.
This represents a monumental shift from Hamilton’s first season with the Maranello-based team, where Leclerc had dominated across the 24-race calendar with a final qualifying score of 19 to Hamilton’s 5.
Having been given a strange run plan by the Ferrari race engineers, Leclerc was visibly dejected after the session, revealing that his struggles with the SF-26 didn’t just appear in qualifying—they had plagued him all weekend. He specifically highlighted a complete lack of confidence under braking, drawing parallels to his recent difficult weekend in Montreal.
Leclerc’s Struggles
Charles Leclerc: “I’ve been struggling recently… It’s been very bad since FP1. Already in FP1, I felt I was really, really struggling. At the moment, it’s a bit of a discovery whenever I get on the brakes. I don’t want to go too much into the details, and I won’t go into more detail than what I’ve said. But it’s been extremely inconsistent, and I’ve just been struggling massively.
“I was getting on the brakes and I didn’t really know where I would end up in the corner. It’s been the same in Montreal and I just need to try the solution and see… The fact that on braking I just don’t really know where to brake still… sometimes it’s only me; I think today it’s a bit more than only me.”
The Monegasque driver went on to suggest his car specification was different from that of his teammate, adding that a technical resolution to this issue was in the pipeline and should be ready for the next round out in Barcelona.
The Rear Winglet Debate: Incremental Gains vs. Simulation Magic
Hamilton, for his part, was highly critical of the Ferrari technical team for failing to exploit the opportunities offered by the FIA’s decision to ban active aerodynamics on safety grounds for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Both Red Bull and Mercedes had utilised the removal of the active rear wing activator to bolt on incremental downforce, using small, bespoke winglets at the rear of the car. While the performance gains were expected to be minor, paddock sources reported to The Race that marginal gains of 0.045 to 0.05 seconds were expected.
This was technically larger than the tiny margin by which Kimi Antonelli out-qualified Max Verstappen (0.043 seconds), and to this end, the winglet may have been crucial in securement of the young Italian’s fourth career F1 pole position. Yet, it was actually the overnight work completed in the simulator back at Brackley that uncovered the 0.2-second deficit the leading Mercedes car had faced against Verstappen during Friday’s FP2.
Ferrari had originally arrived in Monaco with towering expectations, as many technical analysts believed them to be the outright favourites for the Grand Prix weekend. Their engine design features a smaller turbocharger than the Mercedes power unit, allowing it to spool up more quickly from a standing start and out of low-speed corners, where the MGU-K does not deploy below 50 km/h.
Garage Chaos and a Stand-In Team Boss
Yet come qualifying, Ferrari were never truly on top of their game. The final outcome—with Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth—was an undeniable disappointment, as stand-in team boss Jérôme d’Ambrosio expressed to the media.
Team Principal Fred Vasseur had been rushed to hospital earlier in the week with a mystery illness on which Ferrari refused to comment further, though he was expected to return to the pit wall on Sunday for the Grand Prix.
When questioned by the written press about why the weekend had slipped away from Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton was characteristically candid.
Lewis Hamilton: “Apart from wanting more downforce globally, I think when we arrived on Thursday we saw other people, those guys, with trick additions to their wing. We didn’t have that, which was a little bit of a surprise.”
Yet, even had Ferrari concocted similar rear winglet solutions to those found on the Red Bull and Mercedes, it likely would not have been enough to put them in the frame for pole position, despite Hamilton’s suggestions. While the winglets made the difference for Antonelli in his direct battle with Verstappen, it was the overnight setup improvements conceived back in Brackley that truly changed everything.
Brackley’s Midnight Oil Rescues Mercedes
Both Mercedes drivers had complained heavily about the ride of the car over the harsh Monaco bumps and overheating rear tyres on Friday. However, the mechanical tweaks discovered in the simulator completely transformed the W17’s handling characteristics.
Kimi Antonelli: “Yesterday, I’m not going to lie, we were struggling. So the team did a great job with overnight correlation, to do big changes on set-up, and the car just felt much more alive this morning. It was also more forgiving, much more on kerb cutting, bumps… It made us gain so much in terms of performance between yesterday and today and allowed us to fight for pole.”
With the tyre temperatures successfully evened out between the front and rear axles, and the suspension softened to absorb the street circuit’s bumps, Antonelli was able to deliver a sensational, last-gasp lap to claim pole position.
Russell’s Grim Outlook After Massive Deficit
Conversely, George Russell was once again out-qualified by his teenage teammate, offering mixed messages regarding the root source of his struggles.
George Russell: “In FP3, the car felt alive—we were right there in the mix, and I felt confident we could fight for the front row. But as soon as Q1 started, the grip just evaporated on my side. Every time I tried to lean on the front tyres, the car would snap. In Monaco, if you don’t have that absolute confidence to throw the car into the apex, you’re losing tenths everywhere.”
Russell ended the session half a second slower than his teammate in the final standings, leaving him with a grim outlook for Sunday’s race.
George Russell: “Monaco is Sunday copy-paste usually, so starting where we are makes life incredibly difficult. Strategy is going to be everything, and we have to see if we can play a clever game with the pit stops or hope for some chaos ahead. I’ll keep my elbows out, support the team’s position, and maximise whatever opportunities come our way.”
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
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