F1 radio drama overshadows “more worrying” aspect of Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco GP
Bernie Collins casts her eye over Lewis Hamilton's performance in Monaco
Ex-F1 strategist Bernie Collins believes Lewis Hamilton’s lack of pace during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend was “more worrying” than the issues he had over team radio.
Monaco was another difficult weekend for Hamilton in Ferrari colours.
He finished a distant fifth, nearly 50 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton was on the back foot going into the race after picking up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen.
It came after Hamilton was misinformed about whether Verstappen was on a hot lap or not.
This confusion over team radio continued in the race, with Hamilton unsure about who he was fighting in Monaco.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky F1 podcast, Collins explained why Hamilton’s lack of pace during the middle part of the race was a cause for concern.
“I was a bit surprised that at the second pit stop, Lewis had lost enough time that Piastri could box and come out in front of him,” she said.
So the pace was off, and what we’ve seen with the new regulation is that the top five were all pushing; in previous races, that wasn’t the case.
“Lewis just wasn’t able to push and stay with them, which is surprising given how much Lewis loves Monaco. He seemed much more confident than Leclerc was, so that is more worrying for me than the qualifying radio stuff.”
Sky F1 commentator David Croft interjected and suggested that Hamilton was potentially backing off to help teammate Leclerc ahead.
Collins was unsure about Croft’s theory.
“There was no one directly behind Lewis. Lewis was very much on his own in no man’s land in that middle bit,” Collins added.
“Definitely the second half of the race. I am not really sure what went on through then.”
Will Hamilton bounce back in Barcelona?
Over the years, the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona has been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton.
He was unbeaten at the Spanish circuit between 2017 and 2021 for Mercedes.
Even during his lean years for the team, Hamilton made it onto the podium.
Hamilton finished second behind Verstappen in 2023 and followed it up with another rostrum appearance in 2024.
With Hamilton struggling for outright pace relative to Leclerc since the China sprint, it’s a great chance to get his season back on track.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
