The Monaco Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton finish 5th after starting P7 in the race. While this progress sounds good considering that the race was in Monaco, there was a significant pace difference between the 7-time-champion and the front runners during the race, one being his teammate.
During the Free Practice sessions and Qualifying, both Ferrari cars showed strong pace, indicating a strong weekend ahead for the team. While Charles Leclerc was able to continue this form in the race by finishing P2, Hamilton was over 40 seconds behind his teammate.
Lewis Hamilton puzzled by lack of pace in Monaco Grand Prix
On Saturday, it was a 5-car battle for pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix. Although Hamilton was not able to qualify in the top 3, he did end up going fast enough for P4, ahead of Verstappen. However, he had a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen during qualifying.
Starting P7, Hamilton was able to successfully overcut Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso, who were both ahead of him. Despite being close to Verstappen at times, he was unable to match the pace of the top 4 drivers on the grid.
Lando Norris Clinches Monaco Win Amid Midfield Strategy Battles
After the race, Hamilton was asked by Sky Sports if he knew why his pace was off compared to his teammate. To this, he said:
“Nope.”
“[…] For me, I was in the middle of nowhere. I started seventh, was behind two cars for some time, managed to clear them, then I was in no man’s land after that.”
“The gap was relatively big, and I was not racing anyone. I needed a Safety Car or something, but it didn’t happen. It was pretty straightforward from there.
“I wasn’t anywhere near the guys in front.”
Hamilton was also confused as to why his pace was off the front runners. But there is one theory as to why he lacked the pace. On a circuit like Monaco, a driver needs to have complete confidence in the car and the track in order to perform. Having won 3 races in Monaco already, we know that Hamilton is familiar with the track. So this comes to the possibility that he is still trying to get acclimatised to the SF-25.
Is Hamilton still struggling with confidence with the SF-25?
In most of the races this year, Hamilton has been slightly slower than his teammate, Charles Leclerc. With 8 Grand Prix races completed, Hamilton has not managed to finish ahead of Leclerc in any of them. The only time he was able to do so was in a Sprint Race in Shanghai. The Briton is also 16 points behind Leclerc in the Championship standings.
Judging by the results this year, it is obvious that Hamilton is not as comfortable with the SF-25 as Leclerc. This is because Charles has spent the last 6 and a half years driving F1 cars that were designed and powered by Ferrari. This is not the case for Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton Fired Up for Ferrari Stint After Difficult Mercedes Years
The Briton has driven Mercedes-powered vehicles since he started his career in F1 in 2007, until he left Mercedes at the end of 2024. This is the first time Hamilton is driving a Ferrari-powered and designed F1 car.
Considering this, it is not easy for Hamilton to quickly adjust to a completely different machine at the age of 40. Plus, in a track like Monaco, where performance is majorly dependent on the driver’s confidence in the car and the track, it proved to be challenging for Hamilton to extract the performance.
Next weekend, we head to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. This will be a crucial weekend as the FIA will introduce a new technical directive, which will bring more stringent testing to limit flexi-wings on the cars. The Circuit de Barcelona is also a comparatively easier circuit than Monaco. So Hamilton can use the weekend to get more acclimatised to the SF-25.
