Lewis Hamilton reacts to eighth place finish at Monaco GP as struggles continue

F1 preview: A lap of the Monaco Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton moaned about his eighth place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix after rain showers ‘didn’t work’ for the team’s strategy. The seven-time champion was hoping for rain before the showpiece event but failed to use it to make any in-roads after being stuck behind both Alpine drivers at different stages of the race. 

He said: “I might have been able to, I don’t know, honestly I haven’t seen what was possible. But it definitely didn’t help being stuck behind them both.

“I didn’t find it frustrating. It’s what you expect here in Monaco. I knew once I’d qualified behind one of them it was going to be something like that. I was hoping the rain would open up some opportunities but it didn’t work this weekend. 

“You live and you learn and move on.”

Hamilton was stuck behind Esteban Ocon during the opening phase of the Grand Prix, with the two eventually colliding. The Mercedes star stuck his nose down the inside at the tight Ste Devote corner, striking the side of the Alpine. 

The Briton was straight onto the team radio to complain about Ocon’s driving standards and ask if he had picked up any damage in the collision. His team confirmed he had picked up some minor damage to the front wing but he stayed out to continue the battle.

He added: “He’s just turned in on me man, I’m not sure if my wing is busted. For f**k sake man.” However, Ocon was handed a five second penalty for causing a collision after the stewards investigated the incident. Hamilton eventually got past Ocon but found himself behind Fernando Alonso later on in the Grand Prix. 

The tight nature of the Monaco circuit meant it was impossible to pass and Hamilton was forced to settle for P8.

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Meanwhile, Hamilton’s new team-mate George Russell enjoyed a much more successful Monaco Grand Prix. The Mercedes rookie continued his run of scoring top-five finishes at every race this season with P5. 

The strong result for the former Williams man means Russell is now 34 points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. However, the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen has slightly increased from 34 points to 39.

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