STRUGGLING LEWIS GETS UNLUCKY 13
LEWIS HAMILTON’S Monte Carlo plans were in tatters when he failed to make final qualifying for today’s Grand Prix.
Hamilton arrived in Monaco bidding to join childhood hero Ayrton Senna on 65 poles – 30 years after the Brazilian secured his first of a record six wins here.
But Hamilton will start 13th on a course with little overtaking opportunity after he failed to bank a safe time in Q2 before his session ended by a crash ahead of him.
Kimi Raikkonen suprisingly claimed his first pole position in nearly 10 years and a frustrated Hamilton said: “The opportunity was not there for me.
“I just struggled with the car. I don’t really know what to say. I’m deflated but will keep pushing tomorrow.
“That’s pretty much the weekend done. Tomorrow I will just be driving around in whatever position.
“I will try to get into the top 10 but it will be a nice Sunday drive I imagine.”
Hamilton endured two hairy moments where he almost collided with the barriers, first at Massenet and then at Mirabeau, before he claimed something was not right with his Mercedes car.
And the Briton’s last-gasp attempt to make it into Q3 was destroyed when Stoffel Vandoorne lost control of his McLaren and crashed into the wall at the swimming pool chicane.
With the allocated time over, Hamilton was left with no option but to pull into the pits. He qualified 14th, 1.8 seconds off the pace, but will be bumped up one spot following Jenson Button’s penalty that will put him at the back of the grid.
Hamilton will take some joy from the fact that it is Raikkonen who starts on pole and not main rival Sebastian Vettel.
Raikkonen said: “It’s the best place to start. It doesn’t guarantee anything but I will take it.
Vettel is alongside his Ferrari teammate on the front row.