Will Monaco suit Ferrari more than rivals? F1 Q&A

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lewis Hamilton has won three times at the Monaco Grand Prix - in 2008 with McLaren and 2016 and 2019 with Mercedes The European leg of the 2026 Formula 1 season begins with round six at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. Teenager Kimi Antonelli holds a 43-point advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the top of the drivers' championship following his fourth consecutive win of the campaign in Canada two weeks ago. Before the race in Monte Carlo, BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions. Why is the Monaco Grand Prix expected to suit Ferrari more than McLaren, Mercedes or Red Bull? - Andrew Mercedes have dominated the 2026 season so far, winning all the grands prix from pole position. The only time they have beaten to either the front of the grid or a victory was in the sprint in Miami, when Lando Norris took pole and the win for McLaren. The reason Monaco has been identified as a place where that run may end, particularly in favour of Ferrari, is to do with car, engine and driver characteristics. Monaco is the least power-sensitive track on the calendar. In other words, it is the track where cornering performance - particularly at low and medium-speed - is most important, and engine power least. The Ferrari car this year has proved to be quick in the corners, arguably the fastest. That's good for Monaco. Meanwhile, its engine has both strengths and weaknesses. It has good low-speed pick-up, hence their good starts, but lacks top-end power. Again, good for Monaco, where a responsive engine is a benefit, and top-end power is relatively less important. As for the drivers, Charles Leclerc is an ace around Monaco. In the past six years, he has qualified on pole three times, been second on the grid twice and third once. Lewis Hamilton has also traditionally excelled at Monaco, and is in much better form this year after his struggles in 2024 and 2025. He and Leclerc are tied 4-4 in their qualifying head to head this season, and Leclerc has an average advantage of only 0.037 seconds. Add all that together, and it's easy to see why Ferrari are fancied for a potential win this year. Having said that, performance is performance. Ferrari's average deficit to Mercedes in qualifying this year is 0.447 seconds, and that's a big margin to make up just on a swing of characteristics. And it would be unwise to rule out McLaren and Red Bull. The McLaren was quick in Miami, and has proved particularly good in low-speed corners this year. And Lando Norris won in Monaco from pole last year. While Max Verstappen is outstanding always. It could be the closest weekend of the year so far. Classic Monaco Grand Prix images through the years Published1 day agoIs Kimi Antonelli being overhyped due to results that largely he's been a tad fortunate with? Aside from China, in Miami he benefited from a better strategy call by Mercedes to beat Lando Norris, Suzuka was the safety car and Canada saw McLaren's mistake and George Russell retire. - Gavin Kimi Antonelli has definitely had luck on his side this year, and there is no question that the size of his lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell - 43 points after five races - is in large part a consequence of that. Russell's retirement from the lead with an engine problem in Canada was particularly damaging for the Briton. It's also true that the timing of the safety car in Japan handed Antonelli the lead on a plate, that Russell's technical problems in China qualifying - first with a gearbox glitch and then a front-wing issue - prevented him from fighting for pole there, and that McLaren dropped the ball on strategy in Miami, allowing Antonelli to undercut Norris for the lead. At the same time, there is no question that Antonelli has raised his level significantly this year, is living up to the potential Mercedes have long seen in him, and is a legitimate championship leader. In China, his front wing actually had the same problem on his final lap in qualifying as Russell's did. And in Japan, Mercedes felt he was on track to take the lead regardless of the safety car, such was his pace on medium tyres once in clear air. And you can hardly hold against him McLaren's fallibility in Miami, or the issue with Russell's engine in Montreal. While Russell was leading in Canada when he retired, it was very far from a comfortable lead. Antonelli was all over him, and looked faster. The destiny of the victory was wide open. And while they are tied in the head-to-head qualifying battle 4-4, Antonelli is slightly quicker on average so far this season, by 0.074secs. So, yes, the size of Antonelli's lead is partly due to circumstances, but it's equally true that he has had an outstanding season so far against a driver who is himself outstanding. There are plenty of twists and turns to come, and luck usually evens itself out over a season - although that was not the case between Hamilton and Nico

Will Monaco suit Ferrari more than rivals? F1 Q&A

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