Formula 1 Monaco GP
Charles Leclerc tipped for Monaco response after “mildly concerning” weekend
James Hinchcliffe believes Monaco could help Charles Leclerc bounce back from his Canadian GP struggles
Alex Harrington
Edited: Jun 4, 2026, 10:28 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Charles Leclerc called the Canadian Grand Prix "the most difficult weekend so far of my Formula 1 career." He was outpaced by team-mate Lewis Hamilton and finished in a flattering fourth position after a host of DNFs.
The weekend came with its critics, but on the F1 Nation podcast, IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe pushed back against this talk, suggesting that this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix will be a "tonic" for the Ferrari driver, who has just confirmed a contract extension.
"Drivers at this level have been through weekends like this going back to go-karting. If this was the fifth race on the bounce that Charles was being handily beaten by Hamilton, that he was chippy on the radio, that he was cancelling commitments - maybe a cause for concern.
"A bad weekend happens. Look, everyone's had bad weekends. He's had bad weekends before. This one did seem to affect him a little bit more, and to make the claim that it was his worst grand prix weekend ever is maybe mildly concerning. Maybe that shows more of where he's at with the team in general right now. This is an interesting period for him and for that team, and what potential future relationship they have."
His home race comes at the right time, then.
"This is the perfect tonic. We were talking about this in relation to George [Russell] coming to Montreal. Miami's a bogey track for George, Montreal's a strong one. He went there, sprint pole, sprint win, grand prix pole, was leading when the car failed. He went to a track that is usually statistically good for him and performed. It helped kind of bring him back.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
"This is a very similar scenario. You heard Leclerc say, 'Montreal's a bogey track for me.' We know that Monaco's a place that he has excelled at his whole career. It's not like he's had one good race there. He's had several incredibly strong performances there."
Hamilton has been tipped to be strong around the Monte Carlo circuit, but with a renewed sense of belonging at the Scuderia after his contract extension and a natural love for his home race, Leclerc could also be heading into the weekend with a renewed sense of confidence, too.
And if either of the Ferrari drivers is successful, this would be the first grand prix of the 2026 season not won by a Mercedes car.
Photos from Monaco GP - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Monaco Grand Prix - Thursday
Formula 1
53
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alpine told Gucci partnership "speaks volumes" as Enstone revival gathers pace
Next article Charles Leclerc: ‘I've never considered leaving Ferrari’
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Alex Harrington
Lando Norris casts doubt on Singapore GP sprint excitement: "I don't think it is"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Lando Norris casts doubt on Singapore GP sprint excitement: "I don't think it is"
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Report: Sergio Perez's management in Williams talks as Carlos Sainz's future remains unclear
Formula 1
Formula 1
Report: Sergio Perez's management in Williams talks as Carlos Sainz's future remains unclear
More from
Charles Leclerc
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 h
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Ferrari
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
F1 2026 calendar update: Imola GP off the table, no plan B if war escalates
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
F1 2026 calendar update: Imola GP off the table, no plan B if war escalates
Latest news
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
9 min
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 h
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe