Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver will recover - Toto Wolff

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton will come back stronger after his disappointment in Monaco
  • Author, Andrew Benson
  • Role, Chief F1 writer

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton will bounce back from the disappointment of losing the Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton was cruising to victory in Monaco on Sunday only for a strategy error by Mercedes to drop him to third.

Video caption, Hamilton plays down Mercedes mistake

"He has such mental strength and is on a roll," Wolff said.

"It must be very sore to lose that one because it was his to win but I have no doubt he will recover as quickly as he always does."

Hamilton, who has won three of the six races this year and taken pole for four of them, was leading by more than 20 seconds when a late-race safety car led to a panicked decision by Mercedes to pit him for fresh tyres.

In the confusion the team miscalculated the gap behind Hamilton, and his team-mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel passed him as he rejoined the track.

Hamilton said: "There is no single person to blame. We are a team and we win and we lose together. I am not the most upbeat but I will somehow turn it around.

"I tried everything to win this weekend but next year, I will come back and try to be a bit stronger."

The result halved his championship lead over Rosberg to 10 points with five of the 19 races completed.

Video caption, Strategic error costs Hamilton win

Wolff said the mistake was a result of an error in the data which the team rely on to make such decisions.

He said he had told Hamilton: "Sorry, we've let you down."

Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, a three-time F1 champion, said: "A top team should not make mistakes like this. I am really upset because it was not necessary.

"It was the wrong decision to bring him in. It was very obvious. There was no risk to keep him out."