Hamilton amazed by length of ultrasofts stint
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was amazed at how long he made his ultrasoft tyres last to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver stayed out on track longer than anybody with the wet weather tyres, switching straight to ultrasofts while rival Daniel Ricciardo went from wets to intermediates and then to supersofts.
Hamilton managed to make his ultrasofts last for 45 laps to take his first victory since last year's United States Grand Prix.
"I am telling you that is the longest run," said Hamilton. "It's crazy how long that [stint] was, how much you can use the tyres.
"The last lap was the time they were going to drop off."
Although Ricciardo was faster than Hamilton after the Australian switched to intermediates, the Briton kept the Red Bull driver behind until the track was dry enough.
Hamilton reckons he switched to slicks at the exact moment, even though he struggled to bring the tyres up to temperature.
"I switched at just the right time," he said. "On slicks it was so slippery. Daniel was all over the back end of my car and I couldn't see anything.
"I was trying to defend from him."
Hamilton admitted the race had been one of the toughest ever for him.
"I am massively overwhelmed," Hamilton added. "It has been a long time coming to get this win, not only this season but to get the win here.
"This is one of the, if not the toughest race to win. As soon as it rained I knew there was an opportunity and fortunately I was quick enough in the wet."
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