Hamilton left with 'eyeballs coming out of his sockets' on Monaco rollercoaster

Hamilton in Monaco — Photo: © LAT Images

Monaco Grand Prix

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Hamilton left with 'eyeballs coming out of his sockets' on Monaco rollercoaster

Hamilton was only 12th fastest in Friday practice

Sam Hall

Friday 27 May 2022 19:05

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Lewis Hamilton has slated the Monaco track surface after enduring the "bumpiest rollercoaster ride ever" that left him with his eyeballs coming out of their sockets during Friday practice.

The seven-time F1 champion ended the two sessions around the principality a lowly 12th on the timesheet, 1.611secs off the pace of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

With Mercedes struggling to manage the bumpy track surface, Hamilton also trailed sixth-placed team-mate George Russell by over eight-tenths of a second.

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As has been the case for the majority of the season, bouncing was again the cause Mercedes' struggles.

Unlike previously, aerodynamic porpoising was not to blame on this occasion, but a combination of a stiff set-up and the bumps on the public roads.

“Firstly, it’s the bumpiest the track has ever been," said Hamilton. "It’s probably the bumpiest track I’ve ever driven so that makes it one, difficult, and two, generally our car bounces a lot.

“It is different bouncing to what we have experienced in the past. Because it is in a lower speed, it is not aero. It is just the bumps on the track are making it worse.

“Otherwise, [I am] not really having to learn the track differently, it’s just having to fight the car. Putting a lap together is wow! Holy crap! It’s a lot different.

“I don’t remember experiencing it like that before. I don’t know how it is for the others and if they are experiencing the same thing as us but it is the bumpiest rollercoaster ride ever.”

Hamilton eyeballs falling out

This year's race is Hamilton's 15th F1 visit but one that has left feeling the sport has taken a step backwards.

“I remember back in the day, my first years here, just a light, nimble car going around and it was so much better" explained Hamilton. “But now, we have these super-heavy cars. They’re heavier than ever before, the braking zones are different so it is crazy in 2022 that the tracks aren’t as smooth when they have been resurfaced. Technology is still against us.

“But as I say, putting a lap together is difficult.

“I think we made some improvements going into that session. When you do try to put a lap together, the grip doesn’t feel terrible it’s just your eyeballs coming out of the sockets so we’ve got some work to do to try to fix that.

“As anticipated, I didn’t think we would be as quick as the Ferraris and Red Bulls. Our battle is to try to stay ahead of the McLarens I think.”