Lewis Hamilton concedes that the Monaco Amazing Prix was a “hopeless” encounter as he was cleared out “in no man’s arrive” en course to a fifth-placed result.
The Ferrari driver had appeared an up-turn in frame earlier to Sunday’s race, Qualifying fourth for his best Saturday result this season ahead of a Fantastic Prix.
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But the seven-time World Champion was demoted three-places on the grid for impeding Max Verstappen, which dropped him to a seventh-placed start in the Principality.
Well-timed pit stops, with all drivers required to make two in a first for the Monaco race, allowed Hamilton to move ahead of Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso come the chequered flag, which he believes was the maximum possible.
I think from where I was, a three-place grid penalty moving forwards back to fifth, I think was decent – the best I could do, said Hamilton.
When asked if the experience of racing at Monaco had been enjoyable, Hamilton replied: No, it was miserable.
The races here are generally, unless you’re first and in the lead, even when you’re in the lead, it’s not that fun. Just a nice reward at the end but other than that, anything but first is kind of empty.
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Despite finishing fifth, Hamilton was 51 second behind race winner Lando Norris as Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc finished just a few seconds in arrears as the runner-up.
Hamilton was left unable to give an answer as to why the gap had been so large, stating “it just happens” to Sky Sports F1.
“For me, I was kind of in the middle of nowhere,” Hamilton added.
Obviously I started with the penalty I had down in seventh, was obviously behind two cars for some time and then managed to clear them and then I was kind of just in no man’s land after that. I think the gap was relatively big and I wasn’t racing anyone.
“I needed the Safety Car or something to come into play but it didn’t happen so it was just pretty straightforward from there.
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Hamilton was also left frustrated by radio communications with his engineer, at one point being told to push, which left the Briton confused.
“The information wasn’t exactly that clear, I didn’t understand ‘this is our race’ [comment],” said Hamilton.
I didn’t know what I was fighting for. Was I fighting for the next spot ahead or… but in actual fact when I look at the data, I wasn’t anywhere near the other guys up front so I used my tyres a lot in that moment but I was so far away from them.
