Lewis Hamilton's quest for a front-row start at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2025 ultimately fell short, and the Ferrari driver has explained the factors that contributed to his inability to seal the deal. Despite feeling positive about his qualifying performance, Hamilton was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during Q1, which ultimately impacted his starting position.
Hamilton qualified fourth for Ferrari but started seventh after the penalty. He acknowledged the incident with Verstappen, attributing it to a miscommunication between himself and his race engineer regarding Verstappen's speed. Hamilton moved to the left initially but then adjusted his line upon being told Verstappen was on a slow lap, which upset Verstappen. Verstappen, however, downplayed Hamilton's fault, stating that the team provided inaccurate information.
Despite the setback, Hamilton expressed satisfaction with his first qualifying performance in Monaco with Ferrari. He conceded that the crash in FP3 was "definitely not helpful". He explained that he experienced a loss of downforce and rear-end control, leading to the incident. He commended his team for their hard work in repairing the car, enabling him to participate in qualifying.
However, Hamilton admitted that he struggled to find more lap time, particularly in the middle sector with low-speed corners. He noted the car's general weakness in low-speed situations and difficulty with mechanical grip, which was exposed during qualifying.
During the race, Hamilton found himself in "no man's land" after moving up to fifth, unable to challenge the leaders. He described the experience as "miserable," emphasizing that unless you are in the lead, the race is not enjoyable. He finished the race in fifth place, a significant 51 seconds behind the winner, Lando Norris. He admitted he couldn't explain the gap. He felt that he needed a safety car to come into play, but it didn't happen.
Despite the challenges, Hamilton acknowledged that moving from seventh to fifth was a "decent" result, considering the circumstances. He made up two places during well-timed pit stops. He overtook Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso. While the Monaco Grand Prix 2025 wasn't a resounding success for Hamilton, he managed to salvage a decent result, showcasing his resilience and racecraft.
