We will regroup in F1 race – Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton believes he cannot afford another poor weekend if he wants to stop championship leader Sebastian Vettel from winning the title.

Vettel moved 25 points clear of Hamilton after he recorded his third win of the season, while the British driver finished seventh in Monte Carlo.

Hamilton put a brave face on what has been a weekend to forget at the Principality. He was only 13th on the grid after a disastrous qualifying, and although he took comfort from finishing six spots higher up in the order in Sunday’s race, it marked his second sluggish display from his last three outings.

“Of course I can’t afford another weekend like this,” said Hamilton. “But just because you can’t afford something it does not mean it is not going to happen.

“There is no point dwelling on the fact that you cannot afford it. You just work towards trying to rectify whatever issues you have and hope that you don’t come across it again.

“It is not like we came here unprepared. We will regroup. The Ferrari car seems to work everywhere – they have had arguably the strongest car all year – and the next 14 races are going to be very, very difficult.

“I was devastated after qualifying but to come away with some points is better than nothing. I would like to think that at the end of the season those points are going to be valuable.”

Vettel, who claimed Ferrari’s first victory on the Cote d’Azur in 16 years, now has the buffer of a race victory over Hamilton in this year’s see-saw title battle.