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Lewis Hamilton described Ferrari’s 2026 car as ‘so basic’ compared to Kimi Antonelli’s dominant Mercedes after the Monaco Grand Prix.
For the second successive race, Hamilton finished second behind Antonelli, the driver who succeeded him. It was Ferrari’s fifth podium in six races, but they had fallen over half a minute behind the championship leader before the red flag.
On average, Ferrari have trailed Mercedes by four and a half tenths in qualifying over the first six races. While there’s clearly an engine deficit at play, Hamilton feels there’s an obvious gulf in class in the chassis department too.
Should Lewis Hamilton regret leaving Mercedes for Ferrari?
Adrian Newey’s admiration for Ferrari’s F1 car is obvious
Still regarded as F1’s ultimate engineering mind, Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey made a rare appearance at the Monaco Grand Prix. It was the first time he had attended a race since Australia.
In Melbourne, Newey was ‘glued’ to Ferrari’s car at the starting grid. Contrary to Hamilton’s comments, the SF-26 is widely regarded as their most innovative car in years, particularly at the rear (where they introduced a rotating wing and an ingenious exhaust flap).
According to journalist Jorge Peiro, Newey stopped ‘for a while’ in the Monaco pit lane to stare ‘fixedly’ at the Ferrari. If the design were truly ‘basic’, it wouldn’t have caught his eye, so he clearly disagrees with Hamilton.
Which F1 team will catch Mercedes FIRST?
Let us know your reasoning in the comments!
Ferrari were seen as the favourites for the Monaco Grand Prix precisely because the strength of their chassis, though they did ultimately fall short. Indeed, Mercedes demonstrated that they aren’t relying on their engine by dominating the slowest race of the year.
Still, it’s a compliment to the engineers at Maranello that Newey has studied their car so intently.
Newey even sketched Ferrari’s front wing in his famous notebook on the Albert Park grid.
If they can close the significant horsepower gap, there’s still every reason to believe that Ferrari, currently second in the constructors’, will be the first team to catch Mercedes.
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