One of the “toughest” races of Hamilton’s career: reactions from the top 3 in Monaco
Lewis Hamilton experienced a grueling Grand Prix, constantly battling against Max Verstappen. In second, Sebastian Vettel is satisfied with his position, greatly aided by the Verstappen/Bottas collision in the pits. The Finn rounds out the podium.
Under pressure from Max Verstappen for three-quarters of the race, Lewis Hamilton emerges satisfied with a Grand Prix that saw him at a disadvantage with medium tires more worn than the hard tires of his opponent driving the Red Bull.
The feat, the miracle even according to his words, is only greater for the Briton: “It’s probably the toughest race of my career. But I ran it with the spirit of Niki [Lauda] with me. He was one of the most influential people within the team, and he brought us to where we are. So I know he saw us and tipped his cap today,” said Hamilton, paying tribute to the Austrian who passed away this week.
« I hadn’t driven a single-seater with such worn-out tires in a long time, since Shanghai in 2007, I think, where McLaren left me out on track for a ridiculously long time. I could see Max in my mirrors. We were close… when he tried to overtake me, I saw him at the last moment, but I think his front wing was at the level of my rear wheel, so he hadn’t completely passed, » the Briton noted.
The choice to switch to medium tires was clearly not the right one, as Hamilton admits: « I hit the rails a couple of times but I’m glad it’s over! Obviously, it was the wrong tire choice… I remember in 2015 I pitted to change tires and ended up losing the race. So that wasn’t going to happen this time: either I’d crash out, or I’d finish the race! »
« I almost bailed out at least 30 times! »
That was for you, Niki. Your fighting spirit was right there with me every step of the way. I know you are looking down and taking your hat off to us. I miss you, we truly miss you and I hope we did you proud today, legend. pic.twitter.com/gwNJvFzY8C
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 26 mai 2019
Sebastian Vettel does quite well with a 2nd place.
Vettel’s race to the podium was greatly aided by the penalty given to Max Verstappen following his collision with Valtteri Bottas. The latter having made two stops, the German was able to climb to the second step of the podium: « When I saw Max and Valtteri touch in the pit lane, I thought we might have a chance, but in the end, it’s still a good result for me but not a good weekend for the team because we lost a driver in Q1 and I don’t really know what happened to Charles during the race, but it’s always difficult to come back from the back. »
This good result could give some hope to Ferrari according to Vettel:
« I think the car isn’t as bad as it looks! »
BREAKING: @LewisHamilton wins in Monaco and extends his lead at the top of the standings 👏@Max33Verstappen finishes P2, but a time penalty drops him to P4#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/O8wPcYkh49
— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 mai 2019
A turbulent start to the race for Bottas
The turning point of this Monaco Grand Prix for Valtteri Bottas was his first pit stop when Max Verstappen came out alongside him and squeezed the Finn against the barrier. Suffering a puncture after this contact, #77 was forced to return to the pits to change tires and switch to hard compounds.
« My stop was a bit longer than the others. As a result, Max came out level with me in the pit lane even though he was originally behind me. We were side by side, I held my line, and he turned right. We touched, I hit the wall because there was no space to go, and I suffered a puncture. Honestly, I thought I would rejoin at the back of the pack… » said the driver who won in Melbourne and Baku this season.
« I was ultimately lucky in my misfortune, it could have been much worse! »
LAP 9/78: Bottas and Verstappen touch as they pit under the Safety Car 😯#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZwPdPPqbC1
— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 mai 2019
In the overall standings, note that Lewis Hamilton naturally increases his lead over Valtteri Bottas. The two Mercedes drivers are now separated by 17 points, in favor of the Briton. Sebastian Vettel takes third place overall, with 82 points, four ahead of Max Verstappen. To find the updated drivers’ and constructors’ standings, click here!
From our special correspondent in Monaco
