Ferrari Tipped For Monaco — Why The Hype Has A Flaw

Ferrari head to Monaco as favourites for the first time in 2026, and the loudest voices backing them belong to their rivals. After a season in which Mercedes has won everything, the paddock is tipping the Scuderia to finally break through on a circuit that has always flattered its cars. Lando Norris expects Ferrari to be on pole and rates their slow-corner pace as the best on the grid. Kimi Antonelli, leading the championship, thinks the Ferrari engine package will make the difference around Monte Carlo. And McLaren's Andrea Stella has openly named Ferrari as the probable favourite. That is rare unanimity for a team yet to win this year. The reasoning holds up. Ferrari's chassis has kept the team's old habits — superb over the kerbs and through short, sharp corners — and Monaco is essentially a circuit of nothing but those. It is not a power track, so the straight-line deficit that has hurt Ferrari elsewhere should barely register. The layout is also kind to the battery, with plenty of charging and easy deployment, cancelling out a Mercedes strength. Ferrari even has a hardware advantage: a smaller turbo that spins up quickly, helping traction out of slow corners without burning through electrical energy the way rivals must. Yet the favourite billing comes with a warning. Monaco forces every team into a set-up window they have not used all year, so the usual form guide may not apply. And the FIA's new weekend-specific restrictions on hybrid usage mean the MGU-K will run flat out far less than normal — softening the very compromise that usually penalises Ferrari's competitors. The teams that normally have to spend battery to mask a weakness simply won't be punished here. The slow-corner crown is contested, too. McLaren reckons the slowest corners suit its own car best, and Monaco's handful of medium-speed sections could drag Mercedes back into contention. Given the silver cars have been several tenths clear all season, that is no small caveat. Ferrari has its best chance of 2026 this weekend. Just don't mistake the hype for a guarantee. --- *Originally published on [Newsformula One](https://newsformula.one/article/ferrari-monaco-favourite-rivals-power-cap-doubt). Visit for full coverage.*