Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton issue Monaco GP warning

Ferrari arrive in Monaco determined to erase their nagging qualifying weakness and have placed seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at the centre of the fix.



Hamilton revealed that he and the Maranello engineers spent the early part of the week “So I was in the simulator on Monday, I was in nice and early in the morning,” to develop what he calls “some ideas” aimed at unlocking one-lap speed.



The initiative follows a bruising double Q2 exit at Imola that left Hamilton fourth and Charles Leclerc sixth on home soil, underlining how the SF-25 has struggled to light up soft tyres when it counts.



Team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted Ferrari “can’t extract the potential of the soft tyre in qualifying,” a flaw that has so far yielded just one front-row grid slot from nine sessions in 2025.



Qualifying Pain Drives Urgency



Saturday matters more than ever at Monaco, where 32 of 70 Grands Prix have been won from pole and only ten by drivers starting outside the top three.



Hamilton describes qualifying as “our big weakness this year,” noting, “We’re not extracting the performance from the tyres and that’s something we are working on. I had some ideas, the team had some ideas, and so we will try those this weekend.”



Simulator Marathon and Cultural Shift



Hamilton says the post-Imola debrief extended straight into Maranello’s simulator, where “It’s really incredible to see the engineers and the mechanics, it does not stop. They go home on the Sunday night, and then they are in the factory the next day. It just does not stop, they’re churning through the data.”



“I’m feeling more at home in the team, things work differently here. They’ve never had anyone like me here, and so it’s been challenging on both sides.



“But we’re really finding harmony I think in the way that we’re moving forwards. I hope that that starts to reflect.”



First Time in Red on Monaco’s Streets



Hamilton calls Monaco in Ferrari colours a fresh novelty even after 327 grand-prix starts.



“Every weekend is something new,” he said, recalling how Imola required him to learn a different garage layout and even find his room in the motorhome.



“This weekend walking into the garage it’s all red, it’s the first time I’ve been in Monaco… I’ve never been in the Ferrari garage in Monaco. I’ve always walked past it, I always wondered what it’d be like to be in the team. I just didn’t see it until now and it’s awesome.”



He added that he “for years always wondered what a Ferrari would feel like around this track,” and while unsure how the SF-25 will respond, he is “definitely excited to experience it.”



Leclerc Holds Local Hopes



Home favourite Leclerc, who broke his Monaco victory duck last year, is banking on the new ideas to deliver another magical Saturday.



“I hope we’ll discover something new about our car that we haven’t seen yet since the beginning of the season,” he said.



“Until we get to qualifying and until that lap in Q3, you have the hope of doing something magic because you don’t really know where you stand.



“So, I will have my hopes until the end. So, I still have hopes that we can reproduce what happened last year.



“Obviously, it’s still very fresh in my mind to come back in this paddock. The last time I was there, we won, and it was a very special moment for me.”



What Success Would Mean



If Ferrari’s tweaks translate into a front-row berth, the team could stem a momentum swing toward McLaren and close the gap in both titles before the European stretch intensifies.



Hamilton insists the strategy is worth the gamble even on a circuit that punishes experimentation.



“It’s not the best place to try those things but we will try to make a step in qualifying. It’s a natural progression over the year,” he said.



Monaco will reveal whether those simulator hours and fresh ideas become the breakthrough Ferrari desperately needs.
The post Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton issue Monaco GP warning appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk .