Lewis Hamilton has admitted that the Ferrari SF-26 is \u201cmassively down\u201d on power compared to Mercedes in the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
And he has backed Ferrari to be \u201creally strong\u201d at this weekend\u2019s Monaco Grand Prix, offering a reminder that it is \u201cthe one track that power is not king.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari SF-26 \u2018massively down\u2019 on Mercedes in straight line<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n After a winless 2025 campaign, Ferrari has enjoyed a solid start to F1 2026 with four podium finishes across the opening five races.<\/p>\n Hamilton has stood on the podium twice in China and Miami, with teammate Charles Leclerc finishing third on two occasions in Australia and Japan.<\/p>\n Despite the team\u2019s promising start to the season, the Scuderia remains without a race victory since Hamilton\u2019s predecessor Carlos Sainz triumphed at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n Mercedes has taken victory at every race held so far in F1 2026, with Kimi Antonelli collecting four in a row to establish a commanding 43-point lead over teammate George Russell in the drivers\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n Hamilton was heard complaining about a lack of power over team radio in Montreal, where he finished more than 10 seconds adrift of Antonelli\u2019s Mercedes.<\/p>\n Ferrari is expected to qualify for the FIA\u2019s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) scheme, which has been introduced to help struggling power unit manufacturers to catch up under the F1 2026 rules.<\/p>\n The FIA is expected to make an imminent decision on the manufacturers eligible for ADUO with Audi and Honda also expected to be included in the first batch.<\/p>\n Asked if Monaco\u2019s unique layout could present a chance for Ferrari to win in Monaco, Hamilton admitted that opportunity knocks for the Scuderia this weekend.<\/p>\n And he conceded that it is \u201creally hard\u201d to keep up with Mercedes on more conventional circuits even with access to the new overtake mode, which provides a temporary power boost.<\/p>\n Hamilton said of Ferrari\u2019s chances in Monaco: \u201cThat\u2019s the one track that power is not king.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s definitely [dependent on pure] car performance. I think our car could be really strong there.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really going to focus on making sure I arrive with the same energy as I had this weekend [Canada], really study hard with the engineers to make sure we position the car in the right place from Practice 1.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if you take away the power deficit, we\u2019re in the fight with these guys, but unfortunately that\u2019s not the way it is today.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in the moment I\u2019m like \u2018I need more power somehow\u2019 because I\u2019m able to hold on or keep up with them through the corners and I can\u2019t push the pedal any further.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you see them just eking out the straight and you catch them back in the brakes, they eke it out in the straight. It\u2019s really hard.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when you get the overtake [mode], you get within a second, they still pull away.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s how much grunt that they have and we\u2019re massively down.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I really hope with this new rule [ADUO] that enables us to try to improve some performance, so we can get back in the fight with them.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Monaco should be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com last week<\/a>, the FIA has effectively banned active aero for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.<\/p>\n It marks the first time that moveable wings will be made unavailable for an entire race weekend since active aero\u2019s predecessor, DRS, was introduced in 2011.<\/p>\n The temporary ban means that Ferrari\u2019s rotating rear wing, which has been a permanent feature on the SF-26 car since the Miami Grand Prix, will not appear at all in Monte Carlo.<\/p>\n Hamilton first identified Ferrari\u2019s poor straight-line speed at the second race of the season in China, claiming that Mercedes\u2019 advantage increases when Straight Mode \u2013 the term used when active aero is open \u2013 comes into effect.<\/p>\n He said at the time of Mercedes\u2019 edge: \u201cIt seems more so when they open up the ESM \u2013 that\u2019s when they take a huge step, so whatever\u2019s going on in that phase is an area we need to understand.<\/p>\n \u201cThey seem to have a little bit more deployment, so less de-rating at the end of the straights than some of us.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019ve just got to work on trying to see how we can eke out more from our engine.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n