Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 24, 2024 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton arrives before practice REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
MONACO (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton reckons his chances of standing on the podium with Mercedes this season are looking less likely than him learning Italian before moving to Ferrari next year.
Formula One's most successful driver and seven times world champion, who has spoken about dealing with dyslexia, has not won a race since 2021 and last stood on the podium in Mexico last October.
So far in seven races this season the 39-year-old has not finished higher than sixth.
Asked by an Italian reporter at the Monaco Grand Prix whether he felt it would be easier to learn Italian before moving to Maranello or get on the podium in the remaining 17 races, Hamilton laughed.
"I think learning Italian's going to be the hardest, probably," he said.
"But at the moment getting to the podium probably is the less likely one."
Hamilton has won three times in Monaco and the slow and twisting track is unlikely to play to the strengths of a car with strong straight line speed.
Qualifying, and pole position, is also crucial at a circuit where overtaking is extremely difficult and races are often processional.
"It mostly only likes the high speed at the moment," said the Briton, whose team have struggled to understand their car since Red Bull replaced them as the dominant team from 2022.
"The slower you go the less the car wants to turn."
Hamilton said racing through the harbourside principality's streets was still a special feeling, more so than at modern street circuits.
"When you're going through the tunnel you know that Ayrton (Senna), (Alain) Prost and all the greats before you got to drive through there.
"At the other circuits you're driving on there and you're the one that in 10, 20 years time someone will be saying that we were driving on it."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
