Hamilton issues 'nothing is impossible' verdict over Monaco GP win chances

The Briton looked in contention for pole position until the very end, helped by an SF-26 that had shown impressive pace throughout the weekend. Ultimately, however, he was forced to concede to Verstappen and Antonelli, who both delivered outstanding laps in the closing stages of qualifying to secure the front row.

Addressing his chances of victory, Hamilton acknowledged the scale of the challenge that awaits him today, pointing to Monaco's well-known lack of overtaking opportunities and the difficulty of making progress through the field. While he admitted that passing the two drivers ahead will be far from straightforward, the Ferrari driver refused to write off his chances completely and believes a strong start could at least allow him to apply pressure at the front: "We know how these races go. It’s very difficult. I don’t think there’s overtaking. I hope that we can get a really good start and maybe apply some pressure to the two. Kind of need rain probably, but nothing’s impossible.

Looking ahead, Hamilton hopes Formula 1 can eventually find ways to make racing in Monaco more exciting for both drivers and fans. In the meantime, however, the seven-time world champion insists he will continue to push as hard as possible and do everything he can to keep the pressure on the two drivers ahead.

The seven-time world champion admitted Ferrari had entered qualifying expecting to be among the frontrunners after showing strong pace throughout practice, but revealed the car felt significantly different once the session got underway. As a result, Hamilton said the team will need to investigate what changed and why some of their earlier performance appeared to disappear.

Despite missing out on pole, the Briton was encouraged by Ferrari's overall competitiveness and took great satisfaction from battling near the front at one of Formula 1's most iconic venues. Hamilton felt he had extracted everything possible from the car, running right on the limit throughout his lap, while also stressing how privileged he still feels to compete at Monaco as a Formula 1 driver.

Looking at the broader picture, Hamilton noted just how small the gaps were between the leading cars, with Antonelli and Verstappen ultimately edging ahead in a tightly contested qualifying session. He remains convinced Ferrari had the potential to fight for an even stronger result and believes understanding the drop in performance compared to practice will be a key focus ahead of the race.