Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Andrea Stella have shared their thoughts on how they expect McLaren to perform at the 2026 Monaco GP, why they believe Ferrari would have the upper hand over the rest of the field, and whether the new F1 cars would produce better racing in Monte Carlo this year.
Although a botched strategy choice and gearbox failure meant the McLaren drivers scored zero points in Sunday’s race in Canada, they certainly had the pace to somewhat challenge the Mercedes duo throughout the weekend in qualifying and the Sprint race.
Having secured the victory and a third-place finish in Monaco last year, the Woking-based team would certainly hope to replicate a similar feat around the Principality this time around.
Piastri on how he expects McLaren and Ferrari to perform at the 2026 Monaco GP
Speaking in the print media pen following his P11 finish in Montreal, Oscar Piastri opened up about what McLaren’s expectations are for the 2026 F1 Monaco GP and whether he anticipates a fight with Ferrari for pole position.
Stating that he is unsure about how well McLaren would fare, the Australian referred to Ferrari’s strong outings at the Circuit de Monaco in the past several seasons and proclaimed that he expects the Maranello-based squad to be rapid in the upcoming round.
Emphasising how Monaco’s updated track map for 2026 features zero Straight Mode zones and that this year’s Ferrari has looked very efficient in the corners but lacked power on the straights, Piastri explained why he expects the Italian team to do well in Monte Carlo. Nonetheless, he hoped that McLaren would also manage to go toe-to-toe with their biggest competitors this weekend.
“I’m not sure. I’m expecting Ferrari to be quick in Monaco. They’re quick there every year, somehow.
“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.”
Norris predicts a Ferrari on pole but is still excited about the upcoming round
Commenting on McLaren’s upgrade package after his retirement from the 2026 Canadian GP, Lando Norris underlined the unique characteristics of the Circuit de Monaco and added that they would have to wait until the seventh round in Spain to verify the efficacy of the updates.
At the same time, the reigning F1 world champion drew attention to Ferrari’s strength in the low-speed corners and declared that the Italian outfit would claim the pole position on Saturday.
Highlighting how he had delivered one of his best race weekends in Monte Carlo last year and secured a stunning win for McLaren, Norris, nevertheless, stated that he is keen to hit the 3.337 km track as F1 embarks on the European leg of the season.
“I still think this [Circuit Gilles Villeneuve] is a very outlying track and I think Monaco again is another track that’s very different. So, I think to really wait and see how we’re going to be in Barcelona is something I’m excited for.
“Monaco was also a track that was decent to us last year.
“Honestly, I think that Ferrari will be on pole next weekend. Their low-speed performance is far better than everyone else.
“I look forward to Monaco because [in] Monaco [I] had good success there last year and was one of my best weekends, most exciting weekends.”
Stella agrees with Norris
With regard to Norris’s prediction that a Ferrari driver would become the polesitter on Saturday and whether he holds the same opinion, Andrea Stella highlighted in a post-Canadian GP print media session how competitive the SF-26’s chassis is in the corners and in the handling of kerbs.
Referring to the FIA’s decision to limit maximum power deployment on the straights at the 2026 Monaco GP and underscoring how this fabled street circuit boasts prominent bumps and aggressive kerbs, the McLaren Team Principal concurred with Norris’s statement that Ferrari are the favourites to claim pole position in qualifying this weekend.
“I think when we look at the overlay based on the GPS speed, we can see that Ferrari is definitely a competitive chassis in the corners. Like the first sector, they’ve been always very competitive. And it’s not only a low-speed sector, but it’s also a sector with kerbing.
“And normally these features, they tend to reward in a track like Monaco. In addition to that, we see, for instance in Canada, that Ferrari lose time in the straights, but you don’t have much of that in Monaco.
“So, I think Lando [Norris] is pretty right in seeing Ferrari as possibly the favourite car for a pole position in Monaco.”
McLaren team principal believes the 2026 Monaco GP will produce more “normal” racing
While the narrow city streets of Monte Carlo invariably deliver thrilling qualifying sessions, this historic Grand Prix has also drawn plenty of criticism in recent times for failing to generate adequate action and jaw-dropping spectacle on Sundays.
In terms of whether the 2026 F1 cars, which are smaller, lighter, and nimbler than the previous generation of single-seaters, would fare better around the twisting roads of the Principality, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella admitted that he expects the upcoming Monaco GP to produce more organic racing.
Noting that the Circuit de Monaco is not an energy-starved track, the Italian also emphasised how the availability of abundant power would pose different challenges when it comes to managing the tyres and optimising the car’s performance.
Nevertheless, Stella reiterated that the energy management problems the new power units typically bring about at other tracks this season wouldn’t inconvenience the drivers and the teams in Monte Carlo.
“Yeah, I think in Monaco there will be less of the issues that we see in tracks where you are energy starving. It should be more normal. And if anything, it will be quite a lot of power to drive a Formula 1 car in the streets of Monaco.
“So, I think different challenges in terms of having to harness so much power for the tyres, for the car itself, and for the drivers. So, it should be an interesting one.
“But I think you are right in saying that some of the features we see in 2026 with the power units, they should not present themselves in Monaco.”
