Lewis Hamilton: I made it harder on myself

Mercedes drivers achieved 6th and 8th results in qualifying in Monaco, and if Lewis Hamilton is generally satisfied with this result, then his partner, George Russell, judges his work with quite a bit of self-criticism.

Lewis Hamilton (6th): “The last time I had so much fun driving on this track in 2007 and 2008, as well as during the Formula 3 appearances. Overall, I really liked how everything turned out. I think we made very correct adjustments to the settings, although every time you do it is like a lottery – these changes either work or they don’t.

During the workout, we got improvements from session to session, but for today’s workout, when we changed the balance, it seemed that the settings weren’t working optimally. In the second sector we went faster, but in the first and third we got slower.

Only the driving experience immediately got worse and moreover we switched to tires that I really struggled with. We know what this is about, mainly because it was my decision to change the settings, and I did it against everyone else’s opinion. Perhaps by doing so I myself complicated the task for myself.

But in the end I was still able to drive a good circle. I think we squeezed everything out of the car that he was capable of. Perhaps a tenth could have been added. In general, I am thankful that I did not manage to crash into the wall and pass this circle.

This weekend I feel like I’m in good shape. I like to overcome difficulties behind the wheel of the car, and I am glad that when I crashed the car during practice, the new parts were not damaged. And even though I broke the front fender and apologized to the team, that allowed us to change the settings and it really helped to feel the car.

Definitely, it was a step in the right direction. I don’t think we will be able to fully appreciate the effectiveness of new products, including new side pontoons, on the track in Monaco. That will have to be postponed until Barcelona, ​​where it will become clear whether we have succeeded in increasing the speed of the car.

George Russell (8th): “In the first two qualifying sessions everything went very well, and it seemed to me that I was also piloting well. The operation of the machine made a normal impression. We were almost at the level of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, but when I tried to add it turned out the opposite. I overdid it and paid for it.

Of course I’m upset, but probably, even if I showed the 4th or 5th result, I would reproach myself for not trying to achieve more. In general it is always frustrating when you know that you could fight for higher positions with the car.

In principle, the driving sensations are not bad, but on such a track you always have to overcome certain difficulties. The hardest part was getting the tires to work optimally. It was probably possible to go a lap three, four or five tenths faster if everything was done perfectly, especially on the softest tyres.

We saw how Esteban Ocon quite unexpectedly showed the 4th result. He did a great job, did everything right – unlike us.”