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Lewis: 'Monaco? It was the pits'

MONTE CARLO, Monaco - Briton Lewis Hamilton complained during the 2012 Monaco F1 GP that people on the pits wall were dropping debris on his head while he was driving his McLaren to fifth place.

The Englishman said it happened several times during the 78-lap race that was won by Australian Mark Webber (Red Bul).

"The guys hold the pit boards over the track and two or three slips fell out and hit the front of my helmet," Hamilton said. "I was like 'guys, this is getting ridiculous' as they kept dropping them and dropping them."

'NOT THE BEST RESULT'


It was a disappointing race for Hamilton who started third but lost places, notably in the pits - again.

"It wasn't the best result, but this is motor racing," he said. "I really dislike going backwards but we still go away with some points. There are many races ahead of us and we still need to keep pushing. My start was one of worst starts I've had in a long time.

"I don't understand why it happens when two guys next to me and those behind us got perfect starts. I was fortunate to avoid being caught up in the crash. We do thousands of starts, it shouldn't be a problem."

Hamilton was unable to keep up with Webber or German Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) at the start and during the first few laps - and was then passed by old rival Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) in the pit stops.

He was also passed off the track by defending double World champion Sebastian Vettel when his Red Bull crew's fast pit-stop put him back in the race ahead of Hamilton, the German having executed an alternative strategy to perfection after starting ninth.

'SOME WORK TO DO'

The result, with McLaren team mate and compatriot Jenson Button retiring eight laps from the finish, signalled not only disappointment for Hamilton but also his team which has not had a podium finish since the 2012 Chinese GP in April and appears to have lost all its early-season momentum.

"I think the team has some work to do. We are falling behind race-by-race. The others are picking up some serious pace," he said. "If we're not lucky then it will fall away from us."

He also grumbled about yet another costly pit stop.

"I don't know how long my stop was but I lost quite a lot of time. I just wasn't able to really keep up with Alonso and Sebastian got me through his pit stop and then it didn't seem possible to overtake."
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