Hamilton admits Ferrari 'lost something' despite P3 Monaco GP Qualifying finish
Photo: Race Pictures
17:50, 06 Jun
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Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his P3 finish at Monaco GP Qualifying, adding that it's encouraging to see a close battle for that all-important Pole Position, but that he felt Ferrari "lost something" going into the session.
Following Friday practice, Ferrari had been tipped as favourites for Pole, with Hamilton topping the timing sheet in FP2. But as Saturday's action got underway, it became clearer the Scuderia had a tough battle on their hands, particularly with Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.
In the end, Hamilton finished behind the pole-sitter Antonelli and arch-rival Verstappen, but ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who made contact with the barrier on his final flying lap in Q3.
Speaking to Jenson Button in the post-Qualifying interviews, Hamilton began by congratulating the 19-year-old Mercedes driver on his first Pole Position at Monaco, before focusing on a "drastically different" SF-26 throughout the session.
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Hamilton: Ferrari "lost something" ahead of Qualifying
Photo: Race Pictures
Hamilton said: "Congrats to Kimi. Mega, mega job. Having your first pole here is so special.“It was tough for us. We were looking so strong in practice, and we barely changed anything, but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason, so we have to take a deep dive into that."
Hamilton was nonetheless happy to be towards the top at Monaco, loving "every second of it," although there is work to do at the Italian squad as to why they "lost something" after strong preparations.
“I gave it absolutely everything. I was as close to the barriers as I could be, and what a privilege it is to be here, to be one of the 22 drivers in F1 getting to do this still. I love every second of it.
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“I think it is definitely very close between us all. I thought we almost maybe nearly had it, and then Max put in a good time and then Kimi. I think it’s great to see how close all the cars are. I think we lost something going into today, and that’s what we need to try to figure out.”
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Monaco Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 05.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 06.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 07.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 05.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 06.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 07.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 131 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 88 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 75 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 72 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 58 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 48 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 43 | |
8 | AlpineALP | 20 | |
9 | HaasHAA | 18 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 16 |
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