Hamilton says first Ferrari win 'couldn't be closer' after strong Monaco showing

Lewis Hamilton declared his first Ferrari win ‘couldn’t be closer’ after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, where the seven-time world champion continued a remarkable resurgence to sit second in the 2026 Formula 1 standings after six rounds.

The 41-year-old’s turnaround from a dismal 2025 debut season — in which he finished podium-less and 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc — has been one of the defining storylines of the new campaign. Hamilton credits the 2026 regulation shift to nimbler cars, along with key personnel changes he lobbied for, as the catalyst for his revival.

“I can’t believe that I’m second in the championship and I’m really happy and thankful for that,” Hamilton said after Monaco. He also paid tribute to Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, with whom he won the GP2 title back in 2006. “I couldn’t have done that without this team, without the reliability that we have, and also with Fred. Fred has been awesome in supporting me. Last year was really tough for both of us and [I’ve been] begging him for certain changes, and he pulled through.”

Having had no involvement in the development of the 2025 car, the 2026 season gave Hamilton his first real opportunity to shape a Ferrari to his preferences, including a change of race engineer. The results have been immediate: he now leads Leclerc by 15 points and holds a 5-4 edge in their qualifying head-to-head — a stark reversal from the 23-7 deficit he suffered last year.

Despite back-to-back runner-up finishes behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton insists the 66-point gap to his former Mercedes successor does not weigh on him. “It’s actually easier to chase than it is to defend,” he said. “Whilst these guys are very quick and they’re an amazing team, we’re going to keep pushing, keep chasing, and I have no doubt at some stage we’re going to get there.”

A first win would be Hamilton’s first since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix — a race in which he crossed the line second but was elevated to the result after team-mate George Russell was disqualified — and would take his career tally to 106 victories.