Lewis Hamilton was in good form at the recent Monaco Grand Prix, with the seven-time World Champion having appeared much happier following the introduction of Mercedes’ new concept.
Mercedes were supposed to introduce their eagerly awaited new concept at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix; however, the Germans instead decided to run the new design at the Circuit de Monaco following the cancellation of the race in Imola.
Whilst it’s difficult to judge just yet whether the new concept is a step forward or not, Hamilton appeared to be much more comfortable throughout the Monaco GP, with the exception of a few scares in qualifying.
Hamilton finished ahead of team-mate George Russell in every session throughout the weekend, with the 38-year-old having been dominant over the former Williams driver.
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The veteran was almost eliminated in Q1 and Q2 on Saturday though, following a messy qualifying.
He managed to get everything together in Q3 to claim sixth on the grid for Sunday’s race’ however, he was promoted to fifth following a three-place grid penalty for Charles Leclerc.
Part of the reason why Hamilton likely struggled in the opening stages of qualifying is because he crashed at Mirabeau in the closing minutes of Free Practice 3, with his W14 having become wedged under the barrier.
As per usual at Monaco, Hamilton’s car was lifted into the air to safety, meaning the entire paddock were able to see the W14’s new floor.
Hamilton wasn’t the only driver to have this happen to their car, with Sergio Perez’s car having been lifted away after the Mexican embarrassingly crashed in Q1, resulting in him starting from last.
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With Red Bull having been so superior this season, photographs of the RB19’s floor quickly circulated on social media, with Hamilton having reportedly joked that he’d “saved the photos” of Perez’s car whilst it was being lifted by a crane to safety.
“Lewis Hamilton was joking with me that he’s saved the photos of the floor of the Red Bull on his phone, and he’ll be looking at them very closely, zooming in,” said the Chequered Flag Podcast host Rosanna Tennant.
Hamilton went on to finish fourth on Sunday, marking his first top-five finish since he finished second at the Australian Grand Prix.