Hamilton: Mercedes can’t afford another F1 weekend like Monaco GP
Lewis Hamilton has warned Mercedes “can’t afford” another weekend like Monaco after losing the lead of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship to Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
Hamilton endured a difficult Monaco Grand Prix weekend that saw him qualify seventh on Saturday, finishing almost three-quarters of a second off the pole position time.
The race proved to be a struggle for Hamilton as a decision to pit early to try and get the undercut not only failed to get him past Pierre Gasly, but also allowed Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez to jump ahead.
It ultimately left Hamilton to finish the race in seventh place, having made a late second pitstop to get the fastest lap of the race and secure a bonus point.
The result saw Hamilton lose his 14-point lead in the drivers’ championship and slip four behind Verstappen in the updated standings.
Hamilton felt that the strength of Verstappen and Red Bull’s car meant Mercedes could not afford to struggle as much as it did in Monaco at other tracks coming up.
“It’s going to be tough,” Hamilton said.
“I told you at the beginning, they’ve got a championship-winning car, and they’re going to be very hard to beat.
“I’ve been serious about it all year. We’ve won races which we shouldn’t have won, like in Bahrain. But it’s not over. There’s a long, long way to go.
“We definitely can’t afford another weekend like this, but I’m grateful I’ve finished, and grateful I finished and got some points, fastest lap.
“Every little point that you can get on a bad weekend like this, hopefully can count towards something at the end.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
After Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas retired due to a wheel issue at his pitstop, Mercedes also lost the lead of the constructors’ championship, slipping one point behind Red Bull.
But Hamilton expressed his confidence in the Mercedes team to learn from its difficulties in Monaco and bounce back stronger.
“Of course it’s not a great weekend, but I don’t feel like I’m dwelling on it,” Hamilton said.
“There’s a lot that we could have done better in terms of how we prepared going into the weekend. We’ve had some good conversations through the weekend. But it’s not good enough from all of us.
“We win and we lose as a team, and it’s collectively not a good job from all of us, across the board. And we don’t take it lightly.
“But there’s no point getting all depressed. We’ve got to start looking at the data and figuring out why we’re in this position.
“I’m going to be on calls over these next days once we get some analysis. Naturally, we all want answers within the team.
“I know everyone will be working flat out to make sure that hopefully this kind of weekend doesn’t happen again.”
Related video
Previous article
Verstappen: "Actions speak louder than words" after Monaco F1 win
Next article
Norris: Fending off Perez for Monaco F1 podium was "stressful"
Verstappen v Hamilton: Who was at fault?
Formula 1: Sprint Qualifying analysis
The F1 champion who became an Indy king in his second career
Emerson Fittipaldi’s decision to go racing with his brother led to him falling out of F1, but he bloomed again on the IndyCar scene. NIGEL ROEBUCK considers a career of two halves
Why Mercedes is pleased to be in the Hungary hunt at a 'Red Bull track'
Mercedes ended Friday practice at the Hungaroring with a clear gap to Red Bull thanks to Valtteri Bottas’s pace in topping FP2. But there are other reasons why the Black Arrows squad feels satisfied with its progress so far at a track many Formula 1 observers reckon favours Red Bull overall
How Red Bull endured its second car crash in two weeks
OPINION: Red Bull was justified to be upset that Lewis Hamilton survived his British GP clash with Max Verstappen and went on to win. But its attempts to lobby the FIA to reconsider the severity of Hamilton's in-race penalty were always likely to backfire, and have only succeeded in creating a PR disaster that will distract from its on-track efforts
The ‘screaming’ F1 engine future that may not be out of reach
OPINION: It wasn't just the Verstappen/Hamilton clash that had the Red Bull and Mercedes bosses at loggerheads at Silverstone, with the nature of Formula 1's 2025 engines also subject for disagreement. But hopes to have loud, emotive engines that are also environmentally friendly don't have to be opposed
The drivers that need to strike gold before F1's summer break
OPINION: Formula 1 is about to break up for summer 2021, with the title battles finely poised. But it’s not just the latest round of Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton that will be worth watching this weekend in Hungary, as plenty of drivers are eying big results to change the stories of their seasons so far
How Lotus F1 uncovered, then squandered its last ‘unfair advantage’
Cast in the mould of its founder Colin Chapman, Lotus was powerful and daring but flawed – as it proved through further soaring peaks and painful troughs into the 1980s. DAMIEN SMITH examines a game-changing era
The core problems Yas Marina’s long-awaited tweaks won't address
OPINION: Changes to the layout of Abu Dhabi’s circuit aim to reverse the trend of insipid Formula 1 races there - the promoter has even described one of the new corners as “iconic”. And that, argues STUART CODLING, is one of this venue’s abiding failings
How Ferrari offered Britain's next F1 prospect what Red Bull couldn't
Last year's Formula 2 runner-up Callum Ilott could be on his way to becoming the first Briton to contest a grand prix in an Alfa Romeo since Reg Parnell in 1950. But, says OLEG KARPOV, the Ferrari Driver Academy protege is having to temper his ambition at the moment – outwardly at least…
