Steps back and steps forward
Lewis Hamilton was the best Ferrari driver in qualifying in Monaco and this – based on what was seen in yesterday’s free practice – seemed like a guarantee of taking pole position. Instead, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen both surprisingly outsmarted the red cars, ‘forced’ into the second row with Hamilton starting third and Charles Leclerc fourth, in a Ferrari derby that promises to be intriguing and treacherous at the same time towards the first corner. On Sky Sport F1, Hamilton expressed some disappointment with the final Q3 result, highlighting a step back for the SF-26 compared to Friday.
“I believe the others have taken a step forward. Mercedes softened the car quite a bit and got closer – commented the seven-time world champion –they took a step forward and we somehow took a step back. We didn’t really change anything substantial, so I don’t know why in FP3 we weren’t as spectacular – but we were still fast – and then in qualifying, I don’t know about Charles, but for me the situation was totally different, enormously different from free practice. I had a lot of front wing that I had to remove from time to time, so it was a bit strange,” concluded the #44 of Ferrari. And at this point, Sir Lewis’s dream of a first victory in red might have to wait a little longer.
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