Formula 1: Hamilton angered by Massa block at Monaco Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton criticised a strategy blunder after a frustrating qualifying session for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton will start ninth after his only lap in the top-10 shoot-out around the streets of the principality was scrubbed due to him cutting the harbour chicane.

There was initial anger when at one stage Hamilton claimed he was blocked by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, later followed by Sergio Perez's crash that halted the session for a total of 38 minutes.
Left with just one run to set a hot lap, Hamilton could not then get enough heat into his tyres and brakes, leaving him languishing behind Sebastian Vettel who made it five poles from six races this season.

Asked as to the reason behind his poor performance, Hamilton, who has been quickest in Q1 and Q2, said: "It was the strategy into Q3.

"I'd been driving well and I had the pace to get pole, I'm certain of that.
"But the engineers advised we should do one stint at the end of Q3, and I didn't contest it.
"You always have to have a balanced view with the engineers, and I didn't take into account - and I know they didn't - that in Monaco you can't take risks, like leaving it to the end.
"You have to go out and get a banker in like everybody else did.

"With racing experience - you would assume most people would have that - but with things going on, we didn't have that.

"So it is what it is, and I'm just going to have to do my best. I won't give up, I'll keep pushing, although Sebastian will walk away with it I'm sure."

Hamilton's comments were in the immediate aftermath, and with his emotions running high because just over an hour later he changed his tune, admitting to playing a role in the strategy call.
"We had a discussion at the beginning of the session as to what strategy to do in Q3, and it was suggested we would do one single run at the end to save the tyres," said Hamilton.

"That's something I'm always pushing for, and I agreed with."
The stewards did take a look at the incident with Massa, but deemed no action was necessary.
"Massa held me up on my lap, he was in the middle of turn three I think it was, into turn four," added Hamilton.

"I lost the lap and when I went past him, I put my hand up as if to say 'What the hell are you doing?'"