Lowe: Monaco pit stop blunder overblown

Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe claims the pit stop error that cost Lewis Hamilton a surefire victory at Monaco has been overblown.

After claiming a dominant pole position, the championship leader enjoyed a clean start and drove a flawless race to build a comfortable gap ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg. But a late Safety Car period saw Mercedes inexplicably radio Hamilton in to his stand, which eventually dropped the Briton to third. Although the team was quick to apologise to its driver, its mistake inevitably draws debate and criticisms.

“There has been a great deal of comment concerning our mistake in Monaco and its consequences,” said Lowe. “On behalf of the team, this error should be put into context.

“It was a single error made in a split second based on incorrect data. Sport is all about split-second decisions, trading risk with reward, and we do not always get these decisions right.

“But in my opinion this team gets them right more than most. However, as in all aspects we must always improve, and the failure in Monaco will undoubtedly play its part in that process.”

For his part, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits “Monaco has been tough to swallow” but thinks the team must “ take it on the chin, learn from its mistakes and now look ahead to the next race.”

Last year’s Canadian Grand Prix witnessed the first of the three non-Mercedes wins in 2014, as Renault-powered Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of Hamilton and Rosberg’s brake issues and MGU-K woes to secure his maiden F1 victory.

Click here for a look back at Robert Kubica's only Formula One victory in Canada 

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