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Lewis Hamilton pulled out an edge on Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari teammate battle at the Canadian Grand Prix. He now leads the Monegasque 3-2 in the Grand Prix head-to-head.
The seven-time world champion’s pace was strong all weekend, taking the chequered flag just over 10 seconds behind winner Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, crossed the finish line some 34 seconds behind his more experienced counterpart.
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Leclerc largely portrayed an unhappy figure within the Ferrari garages over the entirety of the weekend, labelling it as a ‘nightmare’ during his post-race media debrief, while Lewis Hamilton celebrated his best ever result in Ferrari colours.
The race marked Leclerc’s biggest race pace deficit to Hamilton over a full Grand Prix distance to date, which led F1 commentator David Croft to seek more information from Ferrari regarding the Briton’s dominance.
Ferrari were ‘joking’ about Charles Leclerc’s issues at his least favourite track
During a recent episode of The F1 Show, Croft revealed Ferrari’s sentiments towards Leclerc’s struggles at the Canadian Grand Prix as he issued a ‘bold claim’ on the Scuderia’s chances at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.
“Can I make the bold claim now that I think this is Ferrari’s Monaco this year?” the voice of Sky Sports F1’s coverage said. “The lack of power won’t be so apparent there. They were mega in the slow corners in Montreal, which isn’t Charles Leclerc’s favourite track.
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“Ferrari were kind of joking that half of his problems at the weekend were because he was racing in Montreal. I think this could be a Ferrari dominance.
“It’ll all be about qualifying, obviously, as it always is in Monaco, and if Charles can get on pole, if Lewis can get on pole, if they can get on the front row, this is Ferrari’s weekend to lose.”
Ferrari have emerged as the leading candidate for victory in the principality, due to their 2026 package suiting the tight and twisting nature of the Monaco Street Circuit.
Antonelli, who will be looking to claim his fifth consecutive victory this season at Monaco, strongly believes that Ferrari will be the team to beat.
Hamilton is yet to stand on the top step of the podium for the Prancing Horse, but the upcoming race could be his best opportunity.
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Ralf Schumacher says McLaren ‘can’t be overlooked’ at Monaco
McLaren chief Andrea Stella is among those who are putting Ferrari on a pedestal for the next stop on the F1 calendar. The Italian highlighted how strong the SF-26 is in the corners after studying their GPS data.
However, F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher believes McLaren is another team that cannot be ‘overlooked’ for silverware in the principality, despite Ferrari emerging as the overwhelming favourites inside the F1 paddock.
Speaking via the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, the six-time Grand Prix winner responded to Hamilton’s chances of securing a maiden Ferrari win at the circuit with, “Well, it’s certainly not out of the question that he could celebrate a win.
“That depends a bit on the car as a whole. Of course, we mustn’t forget McLaren; they can’t be overlooked. They weren’t there that weekend because they simply made the wrong decision.
“I’m not so sure whether Lewis Hamilton would have finished second if both McLarens had been there. He likes Monaco, and the car likes Monaco. The only thing is that Charles Leclerc has, of course, always been very, very strong in Monaco so far.
“That’s why I’m curious to see which of the two will be up front. But traction, kerbs – that’s something the Ferrari excels at in Monaco. So they’ll definitely be in the mix for the win there.”
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