THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONACO — Lewis Hamilton says his hopes of defending the Formula One championship title ended Saturday at the Monaco Grand Prix — the same track that provided a dramatic victory on the way to last season’s overall win.
Hamilton finished 16th in qualifying after sliding into the Mirabeau corner 11 minutes into the first qualifying session, but was demoted to last on the grid because his McLaren needed a gearbox change after the accident.
A dejected Hamilton, who is already 32 points behind leader Jenson Button who took pole, hung his head as stewards removed his car before eventually returning to the garage.
“We’re not challenging for the world championship. We’re challenging to improve our car and working towards getting as many points as we can collectively,” Hamilton said. “We’re a long way behind, and if (Button) keeps up his consistency, then he will be very tough to catch.”
Hamilton will start from the bottom of the grid for the first time in his career — yet another setback in a season that has been littered with lows.
“What can I say? I made a mistake and I hit the wall,” Hamilton said. “We have a tough race, and I’m just going to have to try and do the best I can.”
Hamilton’s electrifying win last year on the rain-soaked streets of this tiny principality — when the British driver clipped a wall but still recovered to edge BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica — was one of his most memorable victories on his way to becoming the sport’s youngest champion at 23.
But this season has proved a much bigger challenge, on and off the track.
Hamilton misled race stewards at Australia and Malaysia over an incident at Melbourne, an event that eventually saw the British team receive a suspended three-race ban. Chief executive Ron Dennis also left the team in the fallout.
McLaren’s performance on the track has waned since the season-opener, although recent upgrades showed improvement, with Hamilton near the top of the practice timesheets at Monaco.
On Sunday, Hamilton will be hoping that his KERS technology will provide enough of an overtaking boost so that he can work his way up the grid at the F1’s most difficult overtaking circuit.
“This track’s known for not being able to overtake, but we have KERS, so hopefully it will help us,” Hamilton said. “It will be a new experience for me. I’ll just try to stay out of trouble if I can and bring the car home in one piece.”