Hamilton Hails Mercedes 'Great Car' After Monaco P2 as Antonelli Claims Maiden Win

Lewis Hamilton offered unusually candid praise for Mercedes after securing second place at the Monaco Grand Prix, warmly congratulating rookie Kimi Antonelli on his maiden Formula 1 victory. The seven-time world champion described Mercedes as his "old family" and openly acknowledged their dominant machinery, while accepting that Ferrari still has significant ground to make up if it hopes to challenge at the front.

Why it matters:

Hamilton's willingness to celebrate a direct rival's success underscores both his enduring professional respect for Mercedes and the current competitive reality in Formula 1. His frank assessment reinforces that Mercedes has established itself as the clear benchmark this season, leaving Ferrari with a substantial development gap to close before it can genuinely fight for victories.

The details:

• Hamilton labelled Mercedes' current car "great" and praised Antonelli for delivering consistently "week in, week out" since stepping up to the top tier.
• The Ferrari driver admitted his team "can't keep up with them yet" and predicted it will take considerable work to reach Mercedes' level of performance.
• P2 represented a valuable result for Hamilton in treacherous conditions, with Monaco's narrow streets proving particularly challenging throughout the race weekend.
• Despite having secured five previous victories around the principality, Hamilton viewed second place as the maximum achievable result given Ferrari's current performance deficit.

What's next:

Hamilton's measured tone suggests he has settled into life at Ferrari with realistic expectations, focusing on extracting the maximum from equipment that remains off the pace. With Mercedes setting an intimidating standard, Ferrari's development trajectory under its current technical leadership will face mounting pressure to deliver tangible gains in the races ahead.