Montoya: “Leclerc will win in Monaco, but if I wanted to take a big risk I would bet on Hamilton”

In Monaco with greater confidence The 2nd place achieved in Canada was synonymous with Lewis Hamilton’s best performance as a Ferrari driver, and the result obtained in Montreal could be the ideal boost ahead of the next Monaco GP. The Red team, in fact, could have a good chance of achieving a victory in the Principality (the first since the 2024 Mexican GP), and Hamilton himself seemed very optimistic in this regard. A hypothesis, the one relating to the success of the Prancing Horse, also shared by a former driver like Juan Pablo Montoya. The Ferrari derby According to the Colombian, the characteristics of the street circuit can actually favor the characteristics of the Ferrari, thus explaining his point of view in an interview with the betting site talkSPORT BET: “First of all, the cars will be smaller. This will be a huge advantage. The deployment of power will be crazy; the arrival speeds at the Casino and the chicane, for example, will be much higher because there will be a lot of power recovery. From a performance point of view, this will be the golden moment of the new car. The lower aerodynamic load will make the driving more dependent on the driver. I think it will favor Ferrari.” “They are still very strong in the low-speed corners. Monaco is probably the circuit where the power deficit is the smallest. Having more or less power in Monaco doesn’t make much difference. So, I think Monaco can play a lot in Ferrari’s favour. It’s always been a Charles circuit, but if Lewis can go to Monaco and beat Charles, it would be a big blow for him and a huge success for him.” Hamilton’s ‘return’ The former Williams and McLaren driver greatly appreciated Hamilton’s performance in the last race weekend, with the Englishman returning to compete at a high level for the first time after a period of crisis: “It was really nice to see Max and Lewis racing correctly – added the 50-year-old – Lewis’ overtaking was simply fantastic. A winning manoeuvre. What we saw from Lewis in Canada we hadn’t seen for at least three years. He is no longer the Lewis at the end of his experience in Mercedes; he is more the Lewis of the past, the one who came in and did an exceptional job in the race. Now he’s in a much better situation. People don’t realize how much difference it makes to be in a good position.” Who will win? Montoya therefore highlighted the seven-time world champion’s race, but the possibility of seeing him win his fourth Monaco GP remains low. According to Juancho, in fact, it will be his teammate Charles Leclerc who will celebrate the victory on his home weekend: “I still think that Charles will win in Monaco, unless he is really in difficulty. I would really like to see Lewis beat him, but if I had to bet, I would bet on Charles. However, if I wanted to take a big risk, then I would choose Lewis.”

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-06-01 16:00:00