Ferrari may not have a car suited to the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, Charles Leclerc has warned, with Lewis Hamilton unsure what to expect on the streets of Monte Carlo
Lewis Hamilton admitted he’ll struggle to sleep this weekend in nervous anticipation of what the Monaco Grand Prix will hold. But team-mate Charles Leclerc fears Ferrari will struggle to perform in his homeland.
The Brit, 40, arrived in Monte Carlo this week on the back of his best Grand Prix result in a Ferrari to date. But though he was delighted with fourth place in Imola, he continues to wait for his first podium in red. To achieve it in Monaco would be special, but Hamilton admits he’s not sure what to expect.
He said: “To arrive here in a Ferrari is mad. Every weekend still is my first time with this team in all these locations that we go to, but to drive a Ferrari around this track… I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be in the garage surrounded by red here, and I’m going to get to experience that.
“I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight, I’m really, really buzzing and really excited.” Regarding his strong race in Imola, he said: “We’ve definitely taken on the positives from it. There’s still a lot to digest – it’s only been a few days, obviously.
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“I was on the simulator on Monday [working] on correlation and working with the engineers through the week. I hope we can have a good weekend. It’s a much different track… Ferrari have generally gone well here [in the past] but as you know, qualifying is everything and we’ve struggled so far this year, so we’ll see.
“I’ve never driven this car at this track, so that will be new for me, it’s a new characteristic to what I’ve experienced in the past, but it’s exciting to drive for the first time a Ferrari around these streets of Monte Carlo.”
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Ferrari sparked a Monaco party last year when home hero Leclerc finally won this race, but the 27-year-old admits his chances of repeating that feat are “low”. He said: “Unfortunately, our car hasn’t been particularly strong in low-speed corners and there’s only low-speed corners here.
“So on paper, it doesn’t look like the most promising track for us. But in Monaco, it’s also so unique and so different than anything we race on over the season that we can have also a good surprise once we put the car down tomorrow, which I hope will happen.
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“And if it does, then I hope to be there on Saturday, because obviously qualifying will remain the most important part of the weekend. But on paper, it’s going to be a tough one.”
Ferrari are fourth in the constructors’ championship heading into the Monaco weekend, 17 points behind Red Bull ahead of them. Mercedes are a further 16 points clear while runaway leaders McLaren have a huge cushion already of 132 points between themselves and the Silver Arrows.
