Hamilton not expecting Ferrari's old advantage: 'Now everyone gets similar starts'

Ferrari adopted a different philosophy to its rivals when designing its turbocharger, opting for a smaller unit that sacrificed some outright power in exchange for improved responsiveness off the line, as it required less time for the engine to reach its optimal operating range.

The concept initially proved highly effective, with Ferrari regularly enjoying stronger launches than its competitors, while teams such as Mercedes often appeared to struggle during the clutch release phase. Over time, however, that advantage gradually faded as rival manufacturers refined their own systems and regulatory changes reduced Ferrari's edge.

At the start of the season, the FIA introduced a new starting procedure featuring blue lights that illuminate before the traditional sequence of five red lights. This effectively acts as a pre-start phase, giving drivers additional time to bring the engine up to the desired rev range before the race start sequence begins. In addition, from Miami onwards, the FIA implemented a new "low power start detection" system for safety reasons. The measure was introduced to reduce the risk of cars stalling on the grid, an issue that had affected several drivers during the opening races of the season.

Speaking about race starts, Hamilton confirmed that Ferrari's strong launches earlier in the season were the result of specific technical choices made by the team, while several rivals had opted for a different approach.

As a result, the Ferrari driver believes the differences off the line are now far smaller than they were at the beginning of the campaign, with teams operating on a much more level playing field: "At the beginning, it was because we had taken decisions to benefit our starts and the others hadn't. And then they changed some rules so that we have now time so now everyone gets similar starts."

Hamilton was under no illusions about the task facing him in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. Starting behind two of the quickest cars on the grid, the Ferrari driver admitted that opportunities to move forward are likely to be extremely limited around the narrow streets of the Principality, where overtaking has traditionally been at a premium.

Despite the challenge, the seven-time world champion is not ready to give up hope entirely. Hamilton believes a strong launch off the line could at least allow him to stay in touch with the leaders and put them under pressure, even if external factors may ultimately be needed to shake up the order.

Speaking ahead of the race, Hamilton pointed to Monaco's familiar problem of processional racing, where drivers often spend the afternoon running nose-to-tail while managing temperatures rather than battling for position. With tyre degradation typically low and strategy options limited, he expects another difficult race in which track position will be crucial from start to finish.