Hamilton on tricky Q3: 'I had made that decision myself'

In the closing free practice Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes into the crash barrier, during qualifying he had several moments where it was kielekiele whether he would advance to the next round, and in the end he captured the sixth starting position for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. So, on the face of it, a difficult day, but Hamilton had enjoyed it.

Speaking to SkySports, the seven-time champion said, with a smile on his face: "The last time I enjoyed the track this much was 2007, 2008 and my Formula 3 days here, I’ve generally really enjoyed it."

In qualifying, Hamilton had to go to the limit to advance to Q2 and Q3. "P1 to P2 was good, P2 to P3 I think was good but then we made a change into P3 which didn’t feel as good, but it was faster in the middle sector, but slower in the first and last. The car felt like a real handful, to switch on the tyres I really struggled with, and that was the first time in this session. We know why and it was a decision I had taken against everyone’s judgment, I fought for something and it made it even harder probably."

Hamilton did not specify exactly what he had adjusted, making it more difficult for him in the latter part of qualifying.