Lewis Hamilton believes his first win for Ferrari is within reach after a second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, moving him up to second in the Formula One world championship standings. The seven-time champion is now focused on chasing down championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who claimed his second consecutive victory in Monte Carlo.
Hamilton's Optimism Grows
"I can't believe I am second in the championship," said Hamilton. "It is still very early days in the season and we have to keep chasing. It is actually easier to chase than it is to defend and while these guys [Mercedes] are very quick, we are going to keep pushing, keep chasing and I have no doubt that at some stage we will get that Ferrari win."
Hamilton acknowledged Antonelli's impressive form, stating, "Kimi is doing a phenomenal job but it just encourages me to level up and it encourages everyone else to level up, too. I am going to do my best to try and chase him down for the rest of the year."
Gasly's Fury Over Penalties
French driver Pierre Gasly was left furious after crossing the line in third place, only to discover he had received two five-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to seventh. Gasly, who drove a superb race from ninth on the grid, expressed his devastation: "I don't think there is anything that could hurt me more right now. It's 10 years I'm working my ass off for this type of moment. We did everything right today for standing on that podium in front of all the fans that turned up."
Gasly added, "This is the type of moment that for me can't be taken away from us by unfair reasons. What's going on right now is not right and hopefully they can make the right choice." His Alpine team has requested the right to review the penalties, which stemmed from drivers cutting the line where speed measurement begins on pit entry—an issue the FIA had warned about.
Russell's Misfortune Continues
George Russell's title hopes took a serious blow as he finished 13th after a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Mercedes failed to impose his five-second penalty during his pit stop, resulting in the harsher punishment. Russell was disconsolate: "I'm beyond frustration now. Just struggling to comprehend how this season has panned out. The team tell me there's nothing I did wrong with the speed in the pit lane, software issue."
He added, "I'm in a very weird state of mind because I've had very low moments in my career where I've maybe had a run of two bad races or three bad races on my own personal performance. I've never had a run of bad luck like this."
Antonelli's Dominance
Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, won after a dominant drive, maintaining his lead through a safety-car restart and a standing restart. With teammate Russell struggling, the 19-year-old Italian now leads the title race by 66 points over Hamilton, who has surpassed Russell by two points for second place.
Hamilton was among five drivers penalised for speeding in the pit lane, an unusually high number that also included Oscar Piastri and Franco Colapinto. Despite the penalty, Hamilton avoided the chaos that befell others and emerged with a strong result.
