Ferrari labelled 'team to beat' in Monaco for key reason

Kimi Antonelli has pinpointed why he believes Ferrari will be the "team to beat" at the Monaco Grand Prix, zeroing in on a specific factor the Scuderia has to its advantage.

The Mercedes driver has won the past four grands prix in succession, becoming the first F1 driver to take their first quartet of victories consecutively, but feels it will be an uphill battle to make it five in a row around the streets of the Principality.

Last year, Antonelli struggled in Monaco, enduring a messy weekend that became symptomatic of his struggles during the European leg of the calendar, something he will need to overcome for his title challenge this term.

Currently, the 19-year-old has a healthy 43-point advantage over George Russell, but his team-mate has experienced more than his fair share of bad luck, which has somewhat skewed the competitive picture of what is increasingly looking like a two-horse race for the F1 drivers' championship. 

To start the 2026 F1 season, the only non-Mercedes win has come courtesy of Lando Norris in the sprint at the Miami Grand Prix, but the expectation is that the weekend in Monte Carlo could yield the first Ferrari triumph of the campaign.

The SF-26 showed early in the year that it enjoyed a slight cornering advantage over its rivals, and the small turbo the Italian team has opted for is also anticipated to work in its favour in Monaco.

When this was put to Antonelli on Sky Sports F1, he agreed, whilst adding another key reason for the Maranello-based squad to be confident heading into the round.

"Yeah, I think Ferrari is going to be the team to beat in Monaco," the Italian driver said.

"It's going to be very interesting [to see] how we do there, but for sure Ferrari is the favourite, because also with that winglet they have in the back [the exhaust-blown winglet at the rear of the car], it's giving them a lot of downforce at low speed."

However, he was keen to underline that whatever expected advantage the Prancing Horse might have, that will not deter him from trying to maximise the weekend.

He added: "So, for sure, it's going to be interesting, but I'll try to do my best, to put myself in the best position and to achieve the best result possible."