Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he and Ferrari will be testing some new ideas to improve their qualifying form at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
The seven-time world champion secured the best results of the season at the Emilia Romana Grand Prix, performing an impressive recovery drive that ended from 12th to 4th on the grid.
Not only did he score Hamilton’s best results at Ferrari’s Grand Prix, but it was the first time he’d surpassed his teammate Charles Leclerc on Sunday.
Qualifying has proven to be Ferrari’s biggest weakness in 2025, with Hamilton and Leclerc struggling with a disastrous double Q2 elimination in the team’s first race in Italy last time at Imola.
Hamilton visited Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters on Monday shortly after the race as the Italian outfit continues to work to deal with the performance deficit on a lap.
“So I was on the simulator on Monday. I was lovely and early in the morning,” Hamilton said Thursday in Monaco, where crash.net is in paddock.
“It’s really incredible to see engineers and mechanisms. It’s not stopping. They’re going home on Sunday night and in the factory the next day. They don’t stop, they’re running through data.
“Like I said to incorporate that last weekend, there are a lot of positives. There are still areas that need to be improved. Qualifying this year was a major weakness for us.
“We’re not extracting performance from the tires. That’s what we’re working on. We had a few ideas and our team had a few ideas.
“It’s not the best place to try these things, but we’re going to take a step forward in qualifying, a natural progression of the year.
“I feel like I’m more at home on the team. Things work differently here. They’re trying on both sides because there wasn’t anyone like me here.
“But I think we’re really in harmony to move forward, and I hope that starts to reflect that.”
Lewis Hamilton “Learn something” every weekend
Briton, 40, began to put his early struggle behind him about his continued adaptation to life at Ferrari.
“Every weekend is new,” explained Hamilton. “It was the first time I went to a European race, looked at the tracks, found my room, and got used to the new layout, like last weekend.
“I walked into the garage this weekend and it’s all red. It’s the first time I’ve been to Monaco. I’ve never been to Ferrari Garage in Monaco. I’ve always walked past it and walked. I’ve always thought it was like being on a team. I’ve never seen it before.
“For years I’ve been wondering how Ferrari feels around this track. Even in my first year, I think Ferrari is very strong. Clearly, Charles has been fast here in the last few years.
“I see this car is working very differently than what I’ve been driving in the past. I don’t know what this weekend reflects, but I’m definitely excited to experience it.”
