Lewis Hamilton "feeling more at one" with Ferrari F1 car at Monaco

Lewis Hamilton said he is “feeling more at one” with Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car after provisionally qualifying on the second row of the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix.

One of the major talking points of the new season has been Hamilton’s relatively difficult adaptation to the Ferrari SF-25 after a 12-year term at Mercedes that saw him break some of the longest-standing records in F1.

Hamilton appeared to make tangible steps forward last week when he finished a strong fourth at Imola, two places ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc and just 1.5s off the final podium spot.

That positive trend has seemingly continued at Monte Carlo as he set the fourth-fastest time in qualifying, 0.428s off McLaren’s polesitter Lando Norris.

The result marked a major comeback for the Briton after he suffered a major crash in the final practice on Friday morning, with Ferrari having to replace the entire rear section of the car - including the gearbox - in the short gap until qualifying.

Speaking afterwards, Hamilton admitted that he is feeling more comfortable with the Ferrari the ever before, even though this weekend has proved to be a “steep learning curve” for him.

“I'm definitely getting there,” Hamilton told reporters including Crash.net. “I definitely feel the last race was a really good step. Then coming into this weekend, I've definitely felt more at one with the car.

“I think it's a much, much different car driving here than I've had for the last 12 years. But one I've really enjoy driving.

“Obviously, Charles has been driving this car for the way they set the car up here for the last 6 years. He hits the ground and he knows it like the back of his hand. I would say this weekend has been a quick, steep learning curve, but I was quite happy with the recovery from the crash.

Hamilton elaborated on the hurdles he has faced at Ferrari this year, explaining how moving away from a Mercedes-powered car for the first time in his F1 career also came with its own set of challenges.

“It's just the characteristics through corner balance, the ride is just a lot different, how soft the car is,” he explained.

“When I was at Mercedes, the car was very stiff. We were running quite stiff and low to get the downforce. Everything is different. Tow, cambers, everything is different. The way the engine behaves, engine braking, all these different things. I've never ever used engine braking here before. It's the first time. All these different components that you're thrown in, it takes a bit to get used to it, but I think I was enjoying it.”

F1 has introduced a mandatory two-pitstop rule for the Monaco GP in a bid to spice up the show and give drivers more opportunities to move up the grid.

Hamilton expects this year’s Monaco race to turn into a “lottery”, but he feels it was important for F1 to do something to give teams more strategic options in the race.

“I think the two stops should be better than the s***e we had last year. Last year the safety car came out lap 2 and everyone was just on one tyre for 70-something laps. It was an uneventful race.

“I think this forces a bit more of a lottery. I think you need that at this sort of track because you can't overtake. I'm excited to see how different it is. I chose to have two hards, Charles chose to have two mediums. I'm hoping that there's a benefit of that, but of course, the two McLarens have two hards as well.”

Asked if he will be playing an influential role in determining the strategy in the race, or leave things up to Ferrari to decide, Hamilton added: “It's a discussion you have at the beginning of tonight and tomorrow.

“You have to rely on the team because you don't know where everyone is. You also have to have good patience and try not to overtake yourself. That's why I've given myself two hards, so hopefully that gives me a bit more opportunities.”

Hamilton will start the race from seventh on the grid after being slapped with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen in qualifying.