Hamilton 'agitated and out of practice' in handling frustrations – Brawn

Ross Brawn believes Lewis Hamilton's atypical "agitation" in last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix reflected the Mercedes driver's lack of practice in dealing with frustrations.

From free practice to race day, Hamilton suffered a difficult weekend in Monte Carlo, hampered in large part by set-up issues that left the Briton a lowly P7 on Sunday's grid, while Mercedes' strategy on race day also weighed on Hamilton's subdued performance.

The seven-time world champion's frustration was palpable over the team's radio during the race.

"Lewis was clearly agitated with the way his weekend was going in Monaco and that frustration boiled into the race, when he was unhappy with how his strategy was playing out," Brawn wrote in his Monday post-race column on Formula1.com.

"He’s a fierce competitor, so it should be expected that he will get frustrated when things don’t go his way. He has rarely had to experience this, so he’s a bit out of practice in handling these things.

"Yes, he was pretty robust but when he reflects on this weekend, I’m sure he will look at it differently. Mercedes and Lewis have been together for a long time – and know each other well – so they will get over it. It won’t be an issue."

Max Verstappen who conquered his second win of the season in the Principality has overhauled Hamilton in the drivers' standings while Red Bull also holds an advantage – by a single point – over Mercedes.

• Read also - Hamilton: 'We can't afford another weekend like this'

But Brawn warns the Milton Keynes-based outfit to expect few missteps, if any, from its rival in the future.

"Mercedes won’t have off weekends very often so Red Bull can’t rely on these gift weekends," Brawn said.

"But if Red Bull are to stand a chance of winning the titles this year, it’s vital that they take their opportunities – and they did just that in Monaco as Mercedes struggled.

"This championship fight is going to be tooth and nail and come down to a few points here, a few points there.

"But to see a 30-point swing in their favour, with Red Bull now leading the constructors’ championship by a single point, is very encouraging for the bulls."

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