F1: Hamilton insists he’s put Monaco pit fiasco behind him
Jun 4, 2015, 11:33 AM
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, of Great Britain, speaks to the media at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 4, 2015, in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
MONTREAL (AP) — Lewis Hamilton insists he’s not dwelling on a pit stop fiasco that likely cost him a chance at a victory in Monaco.
And he knows how to make everyone else forget about it, too: win the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend to restore his comfortable cushion atop the Formula One standings.
“There’s going to be a lot of questions about Monaco,” he said on Thursday at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “I’m really not going back to Monaco. I’ve moved on. I don’t even have to think about it.
“It’s about trying to shape the future. I’ve got lots and lots of races to come, lots of improvements that can be made, I’ve got a great team, got a great car and there’s a championship to be won so that’s all I’m focused on.”
Hamilton was in the lead in Monaco, more than 15 seconds ahead, when 17-year-old Max Verstappen crashed to bring out the safety car. Mercedes called Hamilton into the pits to change to quicker and softer tires, allowing teammate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel to pass him with just over 10 laps to go.
As he settled in for a third-place finish, Hamilton snapped over the radio, “Please stop talking to me, please.”
Afterward, Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff apologized to Hamilton, who saw his lead over second-place Rosberg in the championship standings halved to 10 points.
“I have full trust and confidence in the team,” said Hamilton, who won three of the first six races and reached the podium all six times. “We’ve won, we’ve had pretty incredible successful together. One race doesn’t dent the solid foundation that we’ve got.”
Rosberg also has six top-three finishes this year. He became the first driver since Ayrton Senna to win Monaco three straight times, and won back-to-back races for the first time in his career.
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