Lewis Hamilton now has a golden chance to score first Ferrari win before he hits 40-race drought

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Lewis Hamilton will have a golden chance to take his first Grand Prix win for Ferrari in the 2026 Monaco GP due to the emerging strengths of the SF-26 so far this season.

The 41-year-old joined the Scuderia in 2025, but he had a self-proclaimed “nightmare” first season in red that failed to deliver a single Grand Prix podium. Hamilton has already put an end to that drought by scoring his first Ferrari rostrum in China, yet his wait to win goes on.

Hamilton finished P3 in the 2026 Chinese GP in March to also end what had been the seven-time champion’s longest drought without a Grand Prix podium so far. He had not reached a rostrum through the previous 27 races, going back to the 2024 Las Vegas GP for Mercedes.

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The SF-26 will make the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix a golden chance for Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari win

A Grand Prix victory has remained elusive since Hamilton inherited the 2024 Belgian GP win from George Russell, however. Russell was disqualified after winning at Spa two years ago as his Mercedes was deemed underweight, which gifted his then-teammate Hamilton the win.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton’s seven best Mercedes drives before joining Ferrari in 2025

So, the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix on June 7 is now set to mark 40 races since Hamilton’s last win. The Briton could end that drought at 38 if he wins the Canadian Grand Prix on May 24, and Montreal is one of his favourite playgrounds, but Monaco may be the more likely event.

Hamilton has won the F1 Canadian GP a joint-record seven times with Michael Schumacher, but he has not conquered the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve since 2019. He has also not won the Monaco GP since the Stevenage-born star scored his third victory in the Principality in 2019.

A fourth Monaco GP win, which would also see Hamilton join Alain Prost as the fourth most successful driver on the streets of the Principality in F1 history, may be on the cards in 2026. Motor Sport Magazine already reports that Ferrari are the favourite to win the Monaco GP.

Ferrari are expected to be the favourite to win the 2026 Monaco GP as the SF-26 has so far had the best through-corner balance on the grid this season. Ferrari’s smaller turbo is even expected to suit Monaco’s streets, as it is more responsive through and out of slow corners.

The strengths of the Ferrari SF-26 are considered ‘perfect’ for the Monaco GP, which Ferrari also won with Charles Leclerc in 2024. McLaren’s Lando Norris denied Leclerc back-to-back home victories in 2025, as the Briton baulked the Monegasque to win by 3.131s last May.

Formula 1 has moved the Monaco GP back to June 5-7 this season so that the Canadian GP could be brought forward to May 22-24, as it allowed the teams to transport their cargo to Montreal by road from Miami. F1 opted against making Canada a back-to-back with Miami.

It is not completely out of the realm of possibility that Hamilton could score his first Ferrari Grand Prix win in Canada next time out. But the SF-26’s strengths should suit Monaco more than Montreal, making it the golden chance for Hamilton to prevent a 40-race win drought.

Hamilton has only ever gone longer without scoring a Grand Prix win when he failed to take a single victory during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which convinced him to sign with Ferrari from 2025 in February 2024. His career-worst win drought lasted a total of 56 Grands Prix.