Lando Norris and McLaren make bold Ferrari prediction for F1 Monaco GP

Lando Norris and McLaren are convinced Ferrari will be favourites to be on pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix due to the strengths of its 2026 Formula 1 car.

Mercedes has dominated the 2026 season so far, converting pole position into victories at each of the opening five races to have taken place.

But this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix has been tipped as the race where Mercedes’ unbeaten streak could come to an end.

That is because of the strength of Ferrari’s SF-26 challenger in low-speed corners and on traction.

Ferrari has a power deficit to the Mercedes-powered cars, but this impact will not be felt so severely around the tight and twisty Monte Carlo street circuit.

"Honestly, I think that Ferrari will be on pole next weekend in Monaco," reigning world champion Norris said after the Canadian Grand Prix. "Their low-speed performance is far better than everyone else.

"I look forward to Monaco because it's Monaco. I had good success there last year and it was one of my best and most exciting weekends.

“But I think in the places we know we're struggling, it's not something that gives me confidence to say we're going to be incredible. But you never know.”

And McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agrees with his driver’s verdict.

”When we look at the overlay based on the GPS speed, we can see that Ferrari is definitely a competitive chassis in the corners, like in the first sector," the Italian said. "And it's not only a low-speed sector, but it's also a sector with kerbing. And normally these features tend to be rewarded on a track like Monaco.

"In addition to that, we see, for instance in Canada, that Ferrari lose time in the straights, but you don't have much of that in Monaco. So, I think Lando is pretty right in seeing Ferrari possibly as the favourite car for pole in Monaco.”

McLaren also hopes to be in the mix after making recent improvements to its MCL40 car. Norris was also victorious in Monaco last year, with McLaren securing a 1-3 finish.

"We definitely can say that at the current level of development, the McLaren is probably best suited for low-speed corners rather than medium and high-speed corners where we see Ferrari and Mercedes being superior," he explained.

"This should set us in a good position for Monaco. At the same time, unlike how it looks, in Monaco there are a few medium and high-speed corners. Casino corner is more than 150 kph, Tabac is 170-180, the swimming pool is more than 200. So actually, medium and high-speed performance is important in Monaco, but some of the low speed is extremely low speed.

"I definitely see Ferrari probably as the favourite, but McLaren can be competitive and we will try and repeat the achievement last year in Monaco."