Lewis Hamilton questions what ‘everyone says’ about Charles Leclerc after beating him in Monaco

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Lewis Hamilton was pleased to beat Charles Leclerc in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying amid the disappointment of missing out on pole position.

When he topped FP2 on Friday, Hamilton strengthened Ferrari’s pre-race favourite status, but the scarlet red cars ended up locking out the second row.

Hamilton was two and a half tenths slower than the benchmark set by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, though he did outpace Leclerc by seven-hundredths of a second.

The grid is set for the Monaco Grand Prix – Which driver will make the biggest gains?

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Lewis Hamilton bullish after beating Charles Leclerc in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Hamilton had been quicker than Leclerc throughout the Canadian GP weekend, but there was some doubt as to whether he could replicate that in Monte Carlo.

Leclerc had historically struggled in Montreal and described it as the worst weekend of his career, suggesting it would be an aberration.

Indeed, Monaco is arguably Leclerc’s best track. While he only has one victory on home soil, he has more poles here (three) than any active driver and has outqualified his teammate in four of the past five seasons.

• READ MORE: Charles Leclerc reveals ‘really difficult’ Ferrari issues that plagued Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Even though the gap between the two drivers was relatively small, Hamilton felt beating Leclerc in the principality was symbolically significant.

“Everyone says Charles is the fastest over a single lap,” he told the BBC after qualifying. “I’ve done pretty good laps in my lifetime! Hopefully, you could see I still have the pace, I still have what it takes to win and compete.

“To be at his home track here, to be slightly ahead, is positive. But it’s one place and ultimately, we as a team want to be first and second.”

Saturday’s result sees Hamilton tie Ferrari’s intra-team head-to-head at 3-3. He only beat Leclerc in five qualifying sessions across the entire 2025 season.

If one includes Sprint qualifying, then Hamilton now leads 5-4, underlining his transformation at the start of the new regulations.

While Hamilton has ended his podium drought at Ferrari, he’s still chasing his first pole and race win in red.