Hamilton to hold "tough discussions" with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton is to have "tough discussions" with Mercedes following a poor Monaco Grand Prix qualifying that has left him facing the prospect of losing his F1 championship lead to Max Verstappen.

Hamilton, who holds a 14-point lead over Verstappen, will start from seventh on the grid after struggling with set-up changes made to his W12 and also with tyre warm-up.

In contrast, Red Bull rival Verstappen starts second, although could yet be promoted to pole position if Charles Leclerc's Ferrari requires a gearbox change after the Monégasque crashed into a barrier after securing top spot on the grid.

Asked whether he would likely sustain similar issues with his car at the next street race in Baku in a fortnight's time, Hamilton replied: "Not if I can help it."

He then pertinently added: "There will be some tough discussions that I'll have with my engineers tonight or maybe after the weekend because there are things that should have been done but haven't done.

"We'll learn from it and we'll come together stronger in the next race."

Pressed on whether he could expand on that comment, Hamilton replied: "I can't really, no.

"From my point of view, a little bit frustrating. It is what it is and we just have to...I can't really say too much about it. I don't want to be critical of the team but behind closed doors, I will be and we've got to work harder."

Ferrari and Red Bull have tyre edge

Addressing the tyre issues in particular, Hamilton added: 'The Ferraris and Red Bulls definitely have the better capability of getting their tyres working.

"We as a team didn't do a good enough job of providing an opportunity in order to do the same. Of course, it's frustrating.

"On Thursday [in first and second practice] it was better with higher temperatures. Today was a lot cooler and we paid the price for that."

It has left Hamilton with little hope of even claiming a podium, never mind victory given his previous concerns about the processional nature of the race on a Sunday.

"If it's dry, then you know how it is here," said Hamilton. "There's not a huge amount I can do.

"A lot of the work gets done on a Saturday, so I'd definitely say we're out of contention for the win.

"I'm hopeful that it could potentially rain, I don't know. I don't think it's going to rain but it would be nice if it did.

"On the strategy, I'll look to everything that's possible."

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