Antonelli names Ferrari as ‘team to beat’ in Monaco

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosAntonelli names Ferrari as ‘team to beat’ in MonacoListen to F1 Nation’s Monaco GP previewAudioCheck out McLaren’s special Monaco livery for 1000th GPGallery12 of F1’s quirkiest collaborationsPlay0:182026 Canadian Grand Prix: Perez forced to retire after suspension failure 1:50Canada chaos review with Alex Jacques, Tom Deacon and Calum Nicholas Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-names-ferrari-as-team-to-beat-in-monaco-as-hamilton-admits-car-could-be-really-strong-there.27TiQwhLxmh6Eavun3dNYO.27TiQwhLxmh6Eavun3dNYO"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-names-ferrari-as-team-to-beat-in-monaco-as-hamilton-admits-car-could-be-really-strong-there.27TiQwhLxmh6Eavun3dNYO","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-names-ferrari-as-team-to-beat-in-monaco-as-hamilton-admits-car-could-be-really-strong-there.27TiQwhLxmh6Eavun3dNYO","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-names-ferrari-as-team-to-beat-in-monaco-as-hamilton-admits-car-could-be-really-strong-there.27TiQwhLxmh6Eavun3dNYO","datePublished":"2026-06-01T16:16:06.309Z","dateModified":"2026-06-01T16:16:06.309Z","headline":"Kimi Antonelli names Ferrari as ‘team to beat’ in Monaco as Lewis Hamilton admits car could be ‘really strong there’","author":"F1","description":"Kimi Antonelli will be looking to continue his recent winning streak at the Monaco Grand Prix – but the Mercedes driver believes that Ferrari are likely to pose a threat.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9North/f_auto/q_auto/v1779663977/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Canada/2278039483.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Kimi AntonelliMercedesLewis HamiltonShow more tagsAntonelli names Ferrari as ‘team to beat’ in Monaco as Hamilton admits car could be ‘really strong there’Kimi Antonelli will be looking to continue his recent winning streak at the Monaco Grand Prix – but the Mercedes driver believes that Ferrari are likely to pose a threat. Kimi Antonelli is anticipating that Ferrari will be the “team to beat” at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton also voicing his belief that the Scuderia’s car could be “really strong there”. Antonelli has embarked on a run of consecutive victories across the last four rounds, leaving him with a 43-point lead over Mercedes team mate George Russell in the World Championship standings. However, Ferrari had a good outing at the recent Canadian Grand Prix, where Hamilton recorded his strongest race day result for the team so far by crossing the line in P2. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in the aftermath of his latest win in Montreal, Antonelli was quizzed on whether Monaco could suit the Italian squad’s car characteristics. “I think Ferrari’s going to be the team to beat in Monaco,” the championship leader responded. “It’s going to be very interesting how we do there, but for sure Ferrari is the favourite because obviously also with that winglet they have in the back, it’s giving them a lot of downforce at low speed. “For sure it’s going to be interesting, but I’ll try to do my best, to put myself in the best position and to achieve the best result possible.” Hamilton was also asked when speaking to the media post-Canada about whether Monaco could pose an opportunity for Ferrari to win a race, given that he was heard talking about a lack of power over the radio in Montreal – and Monte Carlo is a venue known for not placing as much emphasis on this factor. “I mean, that’s the one track that power is not king,” the seven-time World Champion said. “I think that’s definitely car performance. I think our car could be really strong there. “I’m really going to focus on making sure I arrive with the same energy as I had this weekend, really study hard with the engineers to make sure we position the car in the right place from Practice 1. And, yeah, if you take away the power deficit, we’re in the fight with these guys. “But unfortunately that’s not the way it is today. And I think in the moment I’m like, ‘I need more power somehow,’ because I’m able to hold on or keep up with them through the corners and I can’t push the pedal any further. “And you see them just eking out the straight and you catch them back in the brakes, they eke it out in the straight. It’s really hard. Even when you get the overtake, you get within a second, they still pull away. “So that’s how much grunt that they have, and we’re massively down. But I really hope with this new rule that enables us to try to improve some performance, so we can get back in the fight with them. But Monaco should be fun.” Otis Lawrence claims Sim Racing title in thrilling season finaleCATCH-UP: Watch the F1 Sim Racing World Championship season finaleVideo'A risk worth taking' – Hulkenberg reflects on Canada tyre gambleOUR PARTNERSView allDownload the Official F1 AppScheduleDriversNewsTeamsFantasy & GamingCookie PreferencesMoreF1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited