Hulkenberg rues 'huge missed opportunity' for P3

Nico Hulkenberg described his race as "very frustrating" as he missed out on a chance of a maiden podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Starting from fifth place, Hulkenberg lost out during the first round of pit stops, with team-mate Sergio Perez emerging at the head of a pack including Sebastian Vettel, Hulkenberg and Nico Rosberg by stopping seven laps later. With Perez going on to finish third, Hulkenberg came home sixth having been stuck in traffic and was left to rue another missed opportunity.

“It was ultimately a disappointing race for me, despite getting back to scoring points," Hulkenberg said. "I feel the timing of our first pit stop was wrong and that cost me track position and put me straight into traffic. This effectively ruined my race, as I spent the rest of the afternoon stuck there.

"It’s very frustrating as I had the pace to be on the podium, but this is racing and it’s just the way it often is in Monaco."

Hulkenberg did snatch sixth position out of the final corner on the final lap as he beat Rosberg to the line, but the opportunistic move was not enough to ease his frustration.

"I was able to finally get past Rosberg with a good move on the exit of the final corner: we were on worn out tyres, it started to drizzle and it was very tricky to keep the car facing in the right direction. I got a better exit out of the corner and I think I got him by just a car’s length.

"All in all, I still feel it’s a huge missed opportunity for me. The car was in the sweet spot, it gave me a lot of confidence and I just had a good feeling today, but it was not to be.”

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