Formula 1 may see a shift in power at the Monaco GP. Andrea Stella, McLaren’s chief, believes that Ferrari will arrive at the traditional street circuit as one of the main contenders for pole position, thanks to the characteristics of the SF-26.
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According to Stella, the Italian team’s car has shown very strong performance in corners throughout the season. For him, this type of characteristic tends to be valued on the narrow and winding streets of Monte Carlo, where top speed is much less important than on other circuits.
The executive highlighted that the GPS data analyzed by McLaren shows Ferrari consistently competitive in the tighter sections. “When we look at the overlay of speed data via GPS, we can see that Ferrari definitely has a competitive chassis in the corners. In the first sector, for example, they have always been very competitive. It is not just a low-speed sector, but also with several high-flow corners. Normally, these characteristics are rewarded on a track like Monaco,” he said.
Stella also recalled that one of Ferrari’s main limitations in 2026 has been straight-line speed. The team adopted a philosophy of a smaller turbo than their rivals, a solution that offers advantages in certain situations but comes at a cost in power and top speed, an aspect that was evident at the Canadian GP.
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For the McLaren chief, however, this point loses relevance in Monte Carlo. “We also saw in Canada that Ferrari lost time on the straights, but this has much less impact in Monaco. Therefore, I think Lando is right to consider Ferrari possibly the favorite car to take pole position in Monaco,” he added.
With few overtaking opportunities during the race, qualifying is usually decisive in the Principality. Therefore, Stella believes that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will have an important opportunity to put Ferrari in contention for the top grid positions and even for victory in the Monaco round.
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