Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari remains slower than Mercedes on the straights at Monza, a gap that could decide whether the Italian team can turn its home advantage into a front-row start and a realistic race win this weekend.
Ferrari trails Mercedes on Monza straights
The seven-time world champion said Ferrari’s new power unit is an improvement, but he still lost about 0.6 seconds to George Russell on the straights in Friday practice, a deficit he called “significant.” In a circuit built around low drag and straight-line speed, that makes qualifying execution and tow strategy critical for Ferrari and Mercedes alike.
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Russell topped the second practice session, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 0.120 seconds back in second and Hamilton fifth, 0.457 seconds off the pace. Hamilton was 0.337 seconds slower than Leclerc, underscoring that Ferrari still has work to do on balance as well as top-end speed.
Hamilton said Ferrari’s energy deployment strategy differs from rivals and suggested Mercedes may also be running less drag, a technical edge that matters at Monza more than at most tracks. Ferrari’s speed in the corners can still keep it in the fight, but if the straight-line gap holds in qualifying, it will be harder to convert that pace into track position on Sunday.
For investors in Ferrari’s Formula One exposure, the takeaway is competitive rather than financial: a stronger power unit helps, but race outcomes still hinge on whether the car can defend or attack on Monza’s long blasts. The next test comes in Saturday’s final practice and qualifying, where slipstreaming could be decisive before Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | ▲Straight-line pace advantage | ▼Pressure to convert practice speed into qualifying result |
| Ferrari | ▲New engine upgrade progress | ▼Still trails on Monza straights |
| Lewis Hamilton | ▲Insight into Ferrari's performance gap | ▼Time deficit to Mercedes on long runs |
| Charles Leclerc | ▲Stronger baseline pace at home race | ▼Must defend Ferrari's weakness in qualifying |
