MONTE CARLO — Lewis Hamilton said he is due a change of luck after he qualified eighth for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton looked like he was improving on his quickest time in Q3 when Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed at the Portier corner, red-flagging qualifying with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
There was not enough time to resume the session, meaning Hamilton stayed eighth.
Hamilton lost last year’s Formula One championship after a late safety car at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has been unlucky with the timing of the safety car in Australia, Saudi Arabia and Miami this year.
He was also hit on the opening lap of last week’s Spanish Grand Prix by Kevin Magnussen and relegated to 19th and later showed pace that might have challenged for victory.
Hamilton says he is owed some good luck soon but has a bleak outlook for Sunday’s race in Monte Carlo.
“It’s very hard to overtake here,” Hamilton said. “I’m hoping that the weather plays up and creates opportunity and maybe people do different strategies and be nice to have some luck for once.
“I’ve been having [bad luck] all year. At some stage, it’s bound to stop.”
Sunday’s forecast has the tantalising prospect of rain at the Principality around the time the race starts.
When asked if he will do a rain dance before Sunday’s race, Hamilton replied: “I’m not doing any dancing. No dancing for me.
“But I do want it to rain. Make it a little bit better than driving round in the dry in eighth.”
On the prospect of rain, Hamilton’s teammate George Russell, who qualified sixth, said: “Bring it on.
“That’s what we need in this situation, high risk, high reward — we have go to go for it. If we lose out on a P5 or a P6, it’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world. We want to put it all on the line and go for the win.
“You often don’t say that from P6 in Monaco, but it looks like it is going to rain tomorrow. Look at it now — it’s grey and gloomy; it’s gone from the French Riviera being beautiful in sunshine and now it looks like we’re in London. So, yeah, I’ll welcome a bit of rain”