Leclerc resists Ferrari favorite tag for Monaco

Charles Leclerc believes Monaco is probably Ferrari’s best chance so far to trouble Mercedes in 2026, but he is still refusing to call the Scuderia the team to beat for his home race.

Asked whether Ferrari should be considered the favorite heading into the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc said: "No! I think we are in a better place. If there was one track I would bet on us, it’s probably Monaco." Even with that encouragement, the Ferrari driver kept Mercedes at the top of the order, adding that it had held "a significant advantage since the beginning of the year" and that "Mercedes will still, I think, remain the team to beat."

That caution reflects the bigger picture of the season. Mercedes has won all five grands prix so far in 2026 and arrives in Monaco with a 72-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, making this weekend one of the clearest opportunities yet for its unbeaten run to come under real pressure.

Leclerc’s case for Ferrari is rooted in Monaco’s layout. He said Ferrari has "been struggling a bit on the straights" at other tracks, but expects that weakness to matter less around Monte Carlo, where low-speed corners and traction are more decisive. "Here should be less of a problem," he said, pointing to what he called Ferrari’s "strong package chassis-wise and aero-wise."

Rivals are reading the track in much the same way. Lando Norris has been one of the most vocal in placing Ferrari at the front of the Monaco conversation, arguing that the SF-26’s low-speed strength should finally outweigh its usual straight-line losses. Norris said Ferrari is "not the quickest in the straights" partly because "they have a lot of downforce and a lot of drag," but added that "that advantage will definitely show this weekend."

That makes Ferrari the team McLaren expects to push Mercedes hardest, even if Norris was careful not to overstate his own team’s chances. The reigning world champion said McLaren still goes into the weekend aiming for "a pole and trying to achieve a win," but admitted the run-in has not looked quite as strong as it did before his Monaco victory last year. He said "Ferrari and Mercedes have been very strong, Mercedes even more so."

So while Ferrari is the track-specific threat everyone is pointing to, Leclerc is still framing Monaco less as a weekend Ferrari should control than one where the conditions may finally allow it to attack the benchmark that has defined the season so far.