David Coulthard reveals how McLaren privately rate their Monaco Grand Prix chances versus Ferrari

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Ferrari are being backed as the heavy favourites at the Monaco Grand Prix, but David Coulthard says McLaren privately believe that they will be in the mix as well.

As F1 heads to the iconic street circuit, Ferrari are being tipped for victory by the F1 paddock. Their small turbo, as well as their strength in low-speed corners, makes the SF-26 suited to the Monaco layout.

The Maranello outfit are yet to taste victory in any format in 2026, with Mercedes displaying utter dominance. But even championship leader Kimi Antonelli says Ferrari will be favourites, giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a huge boost for the win.

McLaren privately think they can challenge Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix

The Mercedes car is not so suited to Monaco, with many tipping their 100% Grand Prix winning streak to end this weekend. But McLaren are optimistic about their chances at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Woking outfit are the only team to clinch victory in 2026, with Lando Norris winning the Sprint race in Miami. McLaren have taken a step forward with their package, but they could not extract top performance from it in Canada due to their disastrous strategy.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

They will be looking to right their wrongs in Monaco, and Coulthard says McLaren believe that they can rival Ferrari, with the ‘word on the street’ being that the Italians are the favourites.

“Now, I’ve been talking to a few of the guys down here, and the word on the street is that Ferrari believe that they’re going to be in a really competitive position here, as you’ve just noted,” said Coulthard on the Up To Speed podcast.

“And then at McLaren, they went, ‘We believe. We believe that.’ So, it feels that they’re slightly neglecting Mercedes, given that they’ve won everything but the Miami Sprint.

“I think, this is a big… well, it’s like a world championship in itself. It’s like the Indy 500 of the Formula 1 weekend.

What’s ONE idea you have to fix the Monaco Grand Prix? 💡

The race has been the subject of intense debate due to a lack of overtaking

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“There’ll be an element of the Mercedes team saying to Kimi, ‘You just need good points here.’ And that would make sense to say that. I’m not saying that in a condescending way.”

Ralf Schumacher thinks McLaren might be the favourites in Monaco instead of Ferrari. He says no one is keeping tabs on them, but their progress has been clear to see.

It will depend on whether Norris and Oscar Piastri can get the most from the MCL40 over one lap, and most importantly, whether Hamilton and Leclerc can do the same in the SF-26.