Lewis Hamilton demands answers from Ferrari after 'drastic' change at Monaco Grand Prix

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton went into the Monaco Grand Prix as a favourite, but a 'drastic' Ferrari change got in the way of success.

The talk heading into Monaco was all about Ferrari, whose race car was suited to the low speed corners of the tight and twisty street circuit, with the fight for pole and the race victory expected to be between Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc were in command during the opening practice sessions on Friday, with Leclerc setting the fastest time in FP1 and Hamilton in FP2.

However, Red Bull and Mercedes crashed the qualifying party, where Max Verstappen set a mighty time ahead of Hamilton, only for Kimi Antonelli pull off one of the best laps of his career to clinch pole position, before dominating Sunday's race.

READ MORE: Kim Kardashian arrives at Monaco Grand Prix to support boyfriend Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton unsure where Ferrari pace went

Speaking to the media after qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton highlighted issues Ferrari need to sort after the 'drastic' swing in performance from practice to qualifying.

“Congrats to Kimi. Mega, mega job. Having your first pole here is so special," Hamilton began to Sky Sports.

“It was tough for us. We were looking so strong in practice, and we barely changed anything, but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason, so we have to take a deep dive into that.

“I gave it absolutely everything. I was as close to the barriers as I could be, and what a privilege it is to be here, to be one of the 22 drivers in F1 getting to do this still. I love every second of it.

“I think it is definitely very close between us all. I thought we almost maybe nearly had it, and then Max put in a good time and then Kimi. I think it’s great to see how close all the cars are. I think we lost something going into today, and that’s what we need to try to figure out.”

F1 HEADLINES: Horner return welcomed as Ferrari fill key Hamilton role

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

Lewis Hamilton denies speeding charge after F1 Monaco Grand Prix penalty

• 3 hours ago
• 1

Fans call for Kim Kardashian F1 ban as row rages over Brundle snub

• 2 hours ago

Lewis Hamilton reveals Ferrari will get 'tokens' from FIA to catch Mercedes

• Today 15:45

Charles Leclerc says 'three out of four Ferrari brakes not working' in Monaco crash

• Today 17:15

Why FIA rules meant SIX penalties for ‘rookie error’ at Monaco Grand Prix

• Today 16:30

Adrian Newey breaks silence about Aston Martin F1 misery and reveals updates plan

• 12 minutes ago