Championship leader Kimi Antonelli is looking forward to the 2026 Monaco GP round, the first race at the principality featuring the latest generation of F1 challengers. While he is anticipating a racing feeling more similar to the one experienced in his first full season in the single-seater championship, the Italian expects better performances from his title rivals.
Antonelli worried about the potential pace Ferrari could display in the 2026 F1 Monaco GP
The championship leader, always on the podium thus far in 2026 and with four race wins to his name, admits that the upcoming street circuit might pose a bigger threat to him and Mercedes as a whole.
In fact, in the Italian talent’s opinion, the Scuderia will be at an advantage in Monaco once again, considering the strengths of their SF-26 as well as the good form Lewis Hamilton and recently renewed Charles Leclerc have displayed thus far.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, Miami was another one where we thought it would have been difficult, but Monaco is definitely another one, because the characteristics of the Ferrari car suit it well. To be fair, Ferrari, they have a good car, and they’ve always been, historically, they’ve always been very quick here, even when they didn’t have a good, a fast car.”
Success at the track didn’t come in one day for the Prancing Horse team
Ferrari’s performances in the Principality have been consistent for the past few years, with hometown hero Leclerc taking his first local win back in 2024, as well as a P2 finish last year.
However, as the young Mercedes driver expanded, the Italian team had displayed even in more previous years when they did not have a great package. Leclerc had been due to start on pole in 2021 but his qualifying crash came back to bite before the race. Nonetheless, Carlos Sainz secured a very solid podium on the Sunday.
“You know, we can go back to 2021, for example, when, they were super quick here in Monaco. Then, of course, Charles couldn’t start the race because of what happened, but historically, they’ve always been very quick, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they would be quick this weekend.”
In addition to Ferrari, the championship leader expects several other teams to be able to compete for the top podium position, anticipating more challengers for him and his teammate George Russell alike.
“So I’m pretty sure they will be on top of the game, and they will make our lives very, very difficult. And I think also McLaren will be quick. Also Red Bull can be in the ballpark, but we’ll try to be ready for anything and try to do the best we can with what we have.”
Monaco won’t be too different compared to 2025
Among the main differences with the previous generation of F1 cars, there is the hybrid system, with the insertion of a battery which allows drivers to regenerate power within a racing lap, although it might not have a significant impact on the actual competition in Monaco.
In fact, according to Antonelli’s declarations, the 2026 cars at this venue should allow the drivers to perform less energy saving measures and focus on the track action, thus making the event more similar to the older seasons.
“Yeah, for sure. It’s one of those tracks where the batteries actually last for the whole straight. So, definitely, you don’t have to worry about procedures that much, you know, opening the lap. So, it goes more back to what it was last year, which is cool.”
“It will be also what you need in a city track. I think the city track is already a big challenge itself for the driver. If you can just worry about driving, that’s the best. So, definitely, it’s a lot simpler compared to other races on that side.”
