McLaren warns of Ferrari threat at the Monaco Grand Prix
Photo: Race Pictures
08:01, 02 Jun
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Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri agrees with his teammate Lando Norris' prediction about Ferrari's chances at scoring a good result at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
The Monte Carlo circuit poses a unique challenge for teams and drivers, with its heavy braking zones, lack of straights, and close barriers.
With the characteristics of the SF-26, Piastri also predicts Ferrari to do well this weekend. Speaking to GPblog, among others, he explained: "I'm not sure [if we can fight them]. I'm expecting Ferrari to be quick in Monaco. They're quick there every year somehow, and I think this year with the kind of characteristics they have, looking very good in the corners and maybe struggling a bit more on the straights, I think Monaco is going to be a good track for them. So let's wait and see. Hopefully it could be a good one for us as well. But yes, obviously it's going to be another circuit that's very difficult."
In Canada, he also addressed the latest updates Mercedes brought, and how does McLaren fare against the German outfit. The Australian added: "I think they were definitely still a step ahead. I think we could get close and honestly it was a bit of a similar picture to Miami which isn't a bad thing where if we could get track position then we could hang on, but you kind of need to get that track position or have something happen. We still want to find time, we still want to get more out of the car and the power unit if we can. So yeah, we're definitely not in a position to be winning races on merit, but we're not too far off."
Norris and Stella also predicts Ferrari to be strong in Monte Carlo
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The defending world champion also predicts the Scuderia to take pole position next Saturday. He explained: "Monaco was a track that was decent to us last year. Honestly, I think the Ferrari will be on pole next weekend in Monaco, so their low-speed performance is far better than everyone else."
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella also agreed with the British driver. He added: "We can see that Ferrari is definitely a competitive chassis in the corners. In the first sector, for example, they have always been very competitive. It’s not only a low-speed sector, but also one with several flowing corners. Normally, those characteristics tend to be rewarded at a track like Monaco.
"On top of that, we saw in Canada that Ferrari lost time on the straights, but that is much less of a factor in Monaco. So I think Lando is quite right in seeing Ferrari as possibly the favourite car for pole position in Monaco."
Hamilton looks forward to Monaco challenge
The seven-time world champion achieved his best Grand Prix result at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he finished second. He is also optimistic ahead of the Monaco GP. He said: "I mean, that’s the one track that power is not king. I think that’s definitely car performance. I think our car could be really strong there. I’m really going to focus on making sure I arrive with the same energy as I had this weekend, really study hard with the engineers to make sure we position the car in the right place from Practice 1.
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"And, yeah, if you take away the power deficit, we’re in the fight with these guys. But unfortunately that’s not the way it is today. And I think in the moment I’m like, “I need more power somehow,” because I’m able to hold on or keep up with them through the corners and I can’t push the pedal any further. And you see them just eking out the straight and you catch them back in the brakes, they eke it out in the straight. It’s really hard."
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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
Times are in your local timezone
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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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