Hamilton says Monaco win 'out of reach' after P7 qualie

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Lewis Hamilton says his lowly P7 qualifying performance on Saturday in Monaco puts a win "out of reach", but the Mercedes driver says he'll try to "figure out how to go forwards".

Hamilton was never a force to be reckoned with in the afternoon shootout in which he conceded 0.749s to the day's poleman, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

And like the Monegasque's rivals, Hamilton's chances of improving on a second run were ruined by the local hero's crash at the Swimming Pool in the dying seconds of the session that triggered a terminal red flag.

"It's almost impossible to overtake," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "Almost impossible where we are is pretty much the case, when everyone's in the same speed.

"Saturday is the day so obviously that really does put for sure the win out of reach, but I guess the minimum will be hopefully seventh and then we've got to try to figure out how to go forwards."

Hamilton admitted the handling of his Mercedes W12 around the Principality's tight track had deteriorated on the back of changes made after Thursday's opening day of running.

"It didn't feel too bad on Thursday, and we made some changes and it was pretty terrible today so we've got to go back to the drawing board

"I think from my point, I just had such a lack of grip which then leads you to try to kind of overdrive and start pushing to get more from it, but it just doesn't improve.

"So yeah, difficult one. Obviously, Valtteri was able to get something out of it. But I think we we've definitely had some problems today."

2021 Monaco Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Bottas indeed qualified further up than the seven-time world champion, with the Finn's efforts yielding a third-place position on Sunday's grid.

Hamilton's P7 position on the Monaco GP the grid will be the Briton's worst starting position since the 2018 German GP when he launched his race from a lowly P14.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.