Hamilton claims Mercedes worse than ever in Monaco

Hamilton in Monaco — Photo: © LAT Images

Monaco Grand Prix

Hamilton claims Mercedes worse than ever in Monaco

The W13 bounced its way through the weekend

Ewan Gale

Tuesday 31 May 2022 09:15

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Lewis Hamilton believes the Mercedes W13 was the "worst it has felt" during the Monaco Grand Prix.

The seven-time F1 world champion finished eighth after becoming stuck behind Fernando Alonso's Alpine during the second half of a chaotic race.

The Silver Arrows had struggled all weekend with bouncing, although this time not through porpoising but through the stiffness of the W13's ride.

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Asked what could be learned from the weekend ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix next time out, Hamilton replied: "I'm praying that the car doesn't feel like it does here; this is the worst that it has felt so far just with the bumps. I'm looking forward to going, and [with] my teeth and my jaw moving the whole time, I'm done with the shaking.

"I am pretty sure our [car] is so stiff that the suspension is driving back into the ground.

"I'm looking forward to a more open track [in Baku], I'm just praying it's not as bumpy as here."

Hamilton not frustrated by Alonso roadblock

Fernando Alonso was the only driver yet to make a pit stop by the time red flags were thrown for Mick Schumacher's heavy crash at La Piscine.

The Spaniard was able to switch from extreme wets to slick tyres during the stoppage and became a roadblock for Hamilton instead of being overtaken as he would have been had a green-flag pit stop had taken place.

Hamilton insisted: "I didn't find it frustrating, it is what it is, just cruising behind him."

Additional reporting by Ian Parkes