Lewis Hamilton produced what was statistically his best qualifying performance as a Ferrari driver at the Monaco Grand Prix. But there was clearly more potential in the car.
Hamilton was fourth-quickest on Saturday, surpassing his previous best of P5 in China. But he now trails Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc 7-1 in the head-to-head.
Leclerc was three-tenths quicker on one of the shortest laps of the season. The Monegasque driver challenged Lando Norris for pole position but just about fell short.
Hamilton hasn’t looked capable of matching the home hero all weekend. He was briefly a doubt to participate in qualifying after hitting the barriers at the end of FP3.
Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton will be happy at Monaco Grand Prix despite taking P4
Speaking live on Sky Sports immediately after Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, Martin Brundle suggested that Hamilton would be pleased with his result. This is arguably a marker of how he’s fallen.
The 40-year-old holds the record for the most pole positions in Formula 1 history. But since the start of last season, he now trails his teammate 26-6 on a Saturday.
“Lewis Hamilton, I think, will be pretty happy with fourth there on the second row of the grid,” Brundle said, despite the considerable deficit to Leclerc.
Speaking over the radio, Hamilton apologised to his team, but engineer Riccardo Adami tried to reassure him.
“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t have the pace dude,” he said.
Adami replied: “That’s not too bad.”
Even if Hamilton himself sounded disappointed, Brundle’s comments are indicative of the reputational damage the superstar driver has suffered in the ground-effect era.
How Lewis Hamilton showed he’s one of the classiest drivers on the grid
Ferrari made wholesale changes to Hamilton’s car in the short break between FP3 and qualifying. It can’t be said that he showed a lack of confidence in qualifying despite the ill-timed shunt.
Hamilton thanked every Ferrari mechanic individually in the garage. And after a run-in with Max Verstappen in Q1, he went over to the Red Bull driver to apologise.
While he didn’t necessarily show his best form, Hamilton did demonstrate the class of a world champion on Saturday.
Hamilton infuriated Fernando Alonso, his former teammate, by going slowly during practice. But he held his hands up and took responsibility after compromising Verstappen.
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