Analysis: What happened to Lewis Hamilton in F1 Monaco Grand Prix

Mercedes driver has plenty to be upset about after pit call costs him the win

What could be best described as an uneventful Formula One Monaco Grand Prix was enlivened when Mercedes made a pit call that turned the race on its head.

The call resulted in Lewis Hamilton, the man who had dominated the day, tumbling down to third place behind teammate Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. And the race concluded with a dramatic eight-lap sprint to the line during which Hamilton was unable to make any progress. Rosberg thus won his third straight Monaco Grand Prix, an impressive achievement. However, even the race winner admitted that fortune had smiled on him, and this was Hamilton's race.

So how did this curious event unfold? Hamilton had the thing absolutely sewn up. From pole he made no mistakes, and through the opening stint he gradually opened up a lead on Rosberg, who had Vettel on his tail. There were always going to be limited strategic options for Rosberg to get by, as this is traditionally a one-stop race, with a stint on the supersoft tires followed by another on the softs, and a single pit stop at something between one-third and half distance.

Hamilton was some 7.6 seconds clear when Rosberg came in on lap 37, and a lap later Hamilton pitted. When Hamilton resumed, still safely in front, he continued to edge away, leaving Rosberg to keep a close watch on Vettel, who was doing a great job to keep up in the Ferrari.

Formula One Lewis Hamilton hot after Nico Rosberg wins F1 Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes

Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff says that Lewis Hamilton is right to be angry after a pit-stop call by Mercedes cost him the Monaco win.Days after re-signing with the German F1 racing giant, ...

By lap 63, Hamilton had opened up the gap to as much as 19.6 seconds. And then rookie Max Verstappen crashed into the back of Romain Grosjean and slammed hard into the Tecpro barrier at the first corner, triggering F1's first Virtual Safety Car, which the FIA quickly switched a traditional safety car after it became apparent that it would take time to retrieve the Toro Rosso and fix the barriers.

Hamilton was near the end of the lap when the safety car call first came, and he drove past the pits at reduced speed. There were 15 laps to go, and for those with nothing to lose. And because of the advantage over those behind, a switch to fresher tires made sense.

Some of those down the order did indeed pit. Meanwhile, watching one of the big TV screens, Hamilton thought he saw activity in the Mercedes pit, which would mean Rosberg had some in. Believing that perhaps Vettel and other quick cars had stopped for fresh rubber, he feared that he would be a sitting duck at the restart, when everyone would have been given the chance to catch up.

Concerned about falling tire pressure, he had a conversation with the pits to that effect.

The team didn't realize that Hamilton thought the others had pitted. There was no need for him to take on new rubber, but given that the team's strategy, computers showed that he had sufficient margin to in effect make a free stop and emerge still in front, they called him in.

However, when he drove out of the pit lane, Hamilton was stunned to see Rosberg and Vettel flash by on the track. The pit exit ''short cut'' allowed him to regain ground, and as he blended in was more or less next to Vettel, but the Ferrari driver held his ground and Hamilton slipped back into third place -- utterly confused about what had just happened.

“You rely on the team,” he said. “I saw a screen, it looked like the team was out and I thought that Nico had pitted. Obviously I couldn’t see the guys behind so I thought the guys behind were pitting. The team said to stay out, I said 'These tires are going to drop in temperature,' and what I was assuming was that these guys would be on options and I was on the harder tire. So, they said to pit. Without thinking I came in with full confidence that the others had done the same.”

The safety car period stretched out to the end of lap 70, when the field was finally released. On supersoft tires, which had been used in qualifying, it looked like he might still have a chance of getting past Vettel and then attacking Rosberg. But Vettel did a great job of holding him off, while Rosberg made good his escape up front.

Rosberg eventually crossed the line 4.4 seconds clear of Vettel, who was in turn 1.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton. The body language of the drivers as they emerged from their cars said everything. Rosberg looked like he'd just been given a puppy for Christmas, while Hamilton had the demeanor of someone whose favorite pet had just died.

Rosberg had to get the job done on tires that were less than optimal: “We didn’t discuss pitting in the end. It was quite treacherous out there with those hard tires because they were really stone cold. They were telling me the temperatures, we’ve never ever had those temperatures before I think in those tires, but did the best I could and managed to bring them back up and push, so that worked out well in the end.”

So what happened? The team's own computers had suggested that Hamilton had enough time to make the stop, but in fact they were giving out the wrong information, to the tune of 4 seconds. At Monaco, things are compromised by the lack of the regular GPS data systems due to the busy urban environment, and there was a ''freeze'' in the information that meant the team though the gap was bigger than it was. Hamilton then lost some crucial time backed up behind the safety car just before he came into the pits, and that was enough to make the difference.

So out of nowhere Mercedes has another internal crisis on its hands. By dropping to third, Lewis lost 10 points, while Nico gained seven, and that huge swing leaves the scores at Hamilton 126, Rosberg 116. The management has apologized to Hamilton of course – these things happen – but it might take some time before he's willing to put it behind him.

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Plenty of tickets available for F1 Austrian Grand Prix

Red Bull consultant says race in Austria a tough sell for organizers

Red Bull is struggling to sell tickets for next month's Austrian Grand Prix, according to Red Bull Racing consultant Dr. Helmut Marko.

Last year, the sport's return to the rejuvenated Red Bull Ring was a widely proclaimed success. But, as the racing operation of the energy-drink company now complains loudly about the sport's current regulations, Marko revealed, "Although we are doing a lot of effort with (promotional) events such as the one in Vienna, we are lagging far behind last year in terms of ticket sales. This shows the problems that all the (race) organizers have at the moment."

Formula One's decision-making Strategy Group met last week and vowed to make some changes to improve the show, but proposed changes cannot be ratified until the next World Motor Sport Council meeting in July.

When asked why organizers are struggling to sell tickets, Marko said, "There is a lack of (engine) sound, but that is not all. The cars are too much like a PlayStation game. The drivers are getting out and they don't even have red cheeks -- they're too easy to drive. So there is less difference between the best and the less-good drivers, and the audience knows it. And if you were to paint our car red, hardly anyone would be able to tell the difference with a Ferrari. We need more freedom."

So although the Strategy Group is pushing for some changes, it has been made clear that the basic turbo-V6 infrastructure is being left fundamentally alone -- including the restrictions on fuel use and flow.

But Marko argues, "When this whole power-unit change came, a downward spiral began. These power units are not suitable for Formula One, but as they are so difficult and complex, it will also be impossible to use them in road cars, too."

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2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche mark

2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche markSpain F1 GP Auto RacingMercedes driver German's Nico Rosberg, right, leads the race after the start during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, just outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)Image Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESSAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg leads after the start of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP into the second corner during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel leads as he drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen, Williams Martini Racing's Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr and Infiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing drives next to Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Lotus during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)Image Credit: Paul Gilham via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Ferrari drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)Image Credit: Dan Istitene via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Williams locks up ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)Image Credit: Paul Gilham via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Daniil Kvyat of Russia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPWilliams Martini Racing's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa and Lotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean drive at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPSauber F1 Team's Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr and Sauber F1 Team's Sewdish driver Marcus Ericsson drive at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPFerrari's Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Belgian-Dutch driver Max Verstappen, Infiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren Honda's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, Lotus F1 Team's Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado and Lotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPInfiniti Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo and Lotus F1 Team's Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPMcLaren Honda's British driver Jenson Button and Sahara Force India F1 Team's German driver Nico Hulkenberg drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: JOSEP LAGO via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives ahead of Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Lotus during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESPLotus F1 Team's French driver Romain Grosjean (L) and Scuderia Toro Rosso's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / TOM GANDOLFINI (Photo credit should read Tom Gandolfini/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: TOM GANDOLFINI via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Scuderia Toro Rosso drives during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP crosses the finish line to win the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates in Parc Ferme after winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Image Credit: Mark Thompson via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESP-PODIUMMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg celebrates on the podium after the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on May 10, 2015 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesAUTO-PRIX-F1-ESP-PODIUMMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's senior race engineer Tony Ross (2L), Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg (2R) and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel celebrate on the podium after the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on May 10, 2015 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)Image Credit: LLUIS GENE via Getty ImagesSpanish F1 Grand PrixMONTMELO, SPAIN - MAY 10: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates on the podium with Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari after winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya on May 10, 2015 in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Image Credit: Clive Mason via Getty Images2008 Grand PrixMSRP$22,210ShopReviewsMore Photos2015 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix2015 Chinese Formula One Grand Prix2015 Malaysian F1 Grand PrixRace recap: 2015 Australian F1 Grand PrixHottest Cars and Trucks in AmericaMost Popular Cars By StateJonathon Ramsey

The first race of the European Formula One season inaugurates the second phase of the Championship. Teams overhaul their cars with the big updates they've been working on since Australia, and at the end of The Battle of Spain we find out how the positions on the field have changed.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg brought a big update to his psychology, straight-up beating teammate Lewis Hamilton to take his first pole position of the season. Mercedes owns the front row and Ferrari maintains its status as primary challenger, Sebastian Vettel lining up in third. Williams proved it's been hitting the books to do better in class, though, Valtteri Bottas slotting into fourth. And Toro Rosso's visit to a track that rewards strong aero rewarded them with the best team grid position since the Italian Grand Prix in 2008: Carlos Sainz secured fifth, ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth.

Kimi Räikkönen's bout of Saturday woes – it seems the Finn is always handicapped by lots of tiny issues – continued in Barcelona with one of his sets of prime tires getting cooked by malfunctioning tire warmers. He recovered well enough to take seventh on the grid, but he's got some strong competition ahead of him. He led three other drivers in the Continuous Issues department, Daniil Kvyat unable to wrestle his Infiniti Red Bull Racing higher than eighth, Williams driver Felipe Massa getting it wrong in Turn 3 to fall five places behind his teammate Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull enduring another engine change and sloppy car behavior to get tenth.

And while it turned out to be a steady race a little rough around the edges, the positions on the battlefield just might have changed. A little.



Of the 66 laps in the race we might have seen Rosberg for three of them – maybe. The German got a smashing start, had a clear lead into Turn 1, and after that we checked in occasionally during his two pit stops and again at the checkered flag. He owned the entire weekend the way we're used to seeing his teammate do, and the cameras left him alone to run his race. No one got within seven seconds of him during the first third, and as the pit stop strategies played out that cushion grew. He finished seventeen seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 45 seconds ahead of third-placed Vettel.

Hamilton, on the back foot all three days, stumbled out of the gate. His rear wheels spun when taking off on the formation lap, then did so again at the start, and he got swamped in the dash to Turn 1 but limited the damage to getting passed by Vettel. Unable to get around the Ferrari because his car wouldn't behave when he closed the gap, then suffering a botched wheel change during his first pit stop on Lap 14, he nevertheless switched to a three-stop strategy to get around the Ferrari toward the end of the middle stint. He then rang off a bunch of fast laps on the hard compound tire. Hamilton fought to nearly the end, until he realized there was no way he was going to catch Rosberg, then settled for second place. Not the result he wanted, but considering his start and the difficulty in overtaking in Jerez, second place wasn't a bad recovery.



There's a good chance commentators will continue to dissect Ferrari's tactics for Vettel in this race. When Hamilton switched to a three-stopper, Ferrari stuck with two stops and didn't bring Vettel in to cover Hamilton's move. When the Brit reeled off blistering laps, there was nothing the German could do to recover the time, third place his best fate after completing his second stop on Lap 41. Vettel said the Mercedes was too much for the Ferrari anyway, but in that case it seemed even stranger not to play the daring hand.

Valtteri Bottas tried to keep his Williams in the game up front and switched to a two-stop strategy, but after a mostly quiet race he then spent the last six laps fighting off Kimi Räikkönen. Both Finns have proved they won't crack when they have the right tools: Bottas using his power unit's extra boost to keep Räikkönen from getting close enough to pass on the front and back straights. It was a replay of Bahrain, in fact, when he worked the same playbook to keep Vettel behind him. Bottas and Räikkönen crossed the line less than a second apart in fourth and fifth places. Felipe Massa in the second Williams came home sixth, barely seen for the entire grand prix and the last man not to be lapped.



The final four top-ten finishers, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, Carlos Sainz, and Daniil Kvyat, seemed to be constantly mixing it up until their order settled down on Lap 30. Ricciardo duked it out a couple of times with the Toro Rosso drivers, who went backward once the race began. Grosjean came together with his teammate Pastor Maldonado on Lap 9, leading to Maldonado running his race until retiring on Lap 43 with a rear wing missing a right endplate. Sainz and Kvyat, in another bout of sister-team rivalry, fought for a few laps at the end of the race and their cars touched, Sainz coming out on top and avoiding a penalty from the stewards, but it's likely that Red Bull won't want to see that kind of bumping and grinding again.



Hamilton still leads the Driver's Championship with 111 points, but Rosberg's win gets him to 91 points, just a win and a Hamilton retirement from the top of the chart. Vettel lurks in third with 80 points. Mercedes' third one-two of the season gets them to 202 points in the Constructor's Championship, ahead of Ferrari with 132 and Williams with 81. The next race is in Monaco in two weeks, a race Rosberg has won the last two years and that Hamilton hasn't won since 2008. If Rosberg can take it again this year – but fairly – we might have a European season to start cheering about. We'll see you then.Featured Gallery2015 Spanish Grand Prix

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