Lewis Hamilton confident he is nearing first victory with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton believes a victory for Ferrari is possible following his second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time champion is determined to pursue Kimi Antonelli, the current Formula One leader who secured another win in Monte Carlo.

Driving for Mercedes, Antonelli dominated the race, maintaining his lead through both a safety-car restart and a standing restart. With teammate George Russell finishing 13th, the 19-year-old Italian now holds a 66-point lead over Hamilton. Hamilton has moved into second place in the standings, two points ahead of Russell.

Hamilton expressed surprise at his current ranking, stating that while it is early in the season, he remains committed to chasing the lead. He acknowledged that it is easier to pursue than to defend and expressed confidence that a win with Ferrari will eventually come. He praised Antonelli’s phenomenal performance, noting that it motivates him and other drivers to improve their performance.

The race saw an unusual number of pit lane speeding penalties, affecting five drivers: Hamilton, Russell, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, and Pierre Gasly.

Gasly, who started ninth, drove a strong race, overtaking Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar to cross the line in third. However, two five-second penalties dropped him to seventh. A devastated Gasly argued that his hard work over a decade deserved the podium finish and claimed the penalties were unfair. His Alpine team has since requested a review of the decision.

The affected drivers believed they used their speed limiters correctly. The issue seemingly arose from drivers marginally cutting the line where speed measurement begins on pit entry, a practice the FIA had previously warned against.

Meanwhile, Russell’s championship aspirations have suffered after failing to score in the last two races. His Monaco performance was further compromised when Mercedes failed to serve his five-second penalty during his pit stop, resulting in a drive-through penalty.