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Lewis Hamilton climbed onto the Monaco podium on Sunday for the eighth time in his Formula 1 career, equalling Ayrton Senna‘s all-time record for podium finishes at the Circuit de Monaco – a mark that had stood untouched for more than three decades.
Senna won six times in Monaco, including five consecutive victories between 1989 and 1993, and finished on the podium in eight of his ten starts there.
That ratio is absurd by any measure. Hamilton has now matched the number, though it’s taken him considerably more attempts to get there, spread across more than a decade with Mercedes and now Ferrari.
The result on Sunday was second place behind Kimi Antonelli, whose Mercedes continues to be the dominant force of the 2026 season.
“I think we’ve been progressing over the past months and… can’t quite keep up with them just yet, and it’s probably going to take a lot of work for us to get to their level.”
He continued: “What a family – they’ve done it again, they’ve created an amazing car, and Kimi’s doing an incredible job. Just delivering weekend, weekend out, so it’s great to see.”
The second place didn’t come easily. Hamilton described a race riddled with tire degradation and thermal management problems that made every stint difficult. His tires were effectively spent by the end of the first stint, and the second – a long one – pushed the compounds beyond their comfort zone. Then a safety car wiped the temperature from the rubber entirely, leaving him and everyone else fighting for grip.
“I think for me it’s really the car,” Hamilton said. “It’s good, but we need more downforce ultimately.” He expanded on the tire issue further: “I ran out of tires quite early in the first stint, and then I was on that long second stint and these tires aren’t particularly great just over a long stint, so holding onto that was going to be tough. And then once we had to slow down under the safety car, you lose all temperature, and you saw with other drivers out there that it was really hard to stay on track.”
The record he’s equalled belongs to a man whose six wins at Monaco still stand as the all-time record, making Senna, by that measure, the greatest Monaco driver of all time.
“Really, really grateful for the day,” Hamilton said at the end of it. “Happy, grateful to the team. Grazie to everyone back at the factory and all the guys here have worked so hard to get this result. They truly deserve this and more, and I just gotta keep working harder to try and see if I can finally take that next step for them too.”
The next step is a win.
Continue reading...
Senna won six times in Monaco, including five consecutive victories between 1989 and 1993, and finished on the podium in eight of his ten starts there.
That ratio is absurd by any measure. Hamilton has now matched the number, though it’s taken him considerably more attempts to get there, spread across more than a decade with Mercedes and now Ferrari.
The result on Sunday was second place behind Kimi Antonelli, whose Mercedes continues to be the dominant force of the 2026 season.
“I think we’ve been progressing over the past months and… can’t quite keep up with them just yet, and it’s probably going to take a lot of work for us to get to their level.”
He continued: “What a family – they’ve done it again, they’ve created an amazing car, and Kimi’s doing an incredible job. Just delivering weekend, weekend out, so it’s great to see.”
Why Staying on the Podium in Monaco Was No Sure Thing
The second place didn’t come easily. Hamilton described a race riddled with tire degradation and thermal management problems that made every stint difficult. His tires were effectively spent by the end of the first stint, and the second – a long one – pushed the compounds beyond their comfort zone. Then a safety car wiped the temperature from the rubber entirely, leaving him and everyone else fighting for grip.
“I think for me it’s really the car,” Hamilton said. “It’s good, but we need more downforce ultimately.” He expanded on the tire issue further: “I ran out of tires quite early in the first stint, and then I was on that long second stint and these tires aren’t particularly great just over a long stint, so holding onto that was going to be tough. And then once we had to slow down under the safety car, you lose all temperature, and you saw with other drivers out there that it was really hard to stay on track.”
The record he’s equalled belongs to a man whose six wins at Monaco still stand as the all-time record, making Senna, by that measure, the greatest Monaco driver of all time.
“Really, really grateful for the day,” Hamilton said at the end of it. “Happy, grateful to the team. Grazie to everyone back at the factory and all the guys here have worked so hard to get this result. They truly deserve this and more, and I just gotta keep working harder to try and see if I can finally take that next step for them too.”
The next step is a win.
Continue reading...
