F1 icon Damon Hill has dismissed Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's complaints about the Monaco Grand Prix after the pair demanded changes to make it more exciting.
Verstappen and Hamilton both bemoaned the Circuit de Monaco, having struggled to make any real headway in the race. They finished sixth and seventh place respectively, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc clinched a historic win on his home turf.
As Leclerc celebrated becoming the first driver from Monaco to triumph at the prestigious event in 93 years, the two world champions were slamming the GP as being dull and boring. While Verstappen is still ahead in the current standings, Leclerc's triumph moved him within 31 points of the Red Bull ace.
However, Hill defended the historic track and the way the race panned out, pointing to Leclerc's historic triumph as evidence that the race can conjure up excitement.
On the F1 Nation podcast, when quizzed about the excitement level of the race, the 1996 champion said: "It was great," countering Hamilton and Verstappen's sentiments. "I know some people thought that the Monaco GP was a little bit samey.
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“But I didn’t and I can give you a long, long list of reasons why that is. It was great to get another winner. Charles was absolutely fantastic, to win as a Monegasque. It’s the first time it had happened for 93 years," reports the Express.
However, Hamilton didn't see it that way and expressed his dissatisfaction with the snooze-fest immediately after the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion remarked: "It was non-eventful. Everyone drove so slow. So it didn't matter what tyre you were on.
"We were driving seconds off the pace, I don't know what it was like watching, but I am sure people were falling asleep." The Mercedes driver then insisted that the race needed to be changed, adding: "We have to find ways of spicing it up a bit more, maybe three mandatory stops?"
Verstappen, meanwhile, couldn't hide his sarcasm during the race, suggesting over the team radio that a pillow might have been useful given the event's lack of action. He echoed this cheeky critique in his interactions with the press following the race, referring to how he started and ended the race in sixth place.
Hamilton did not hide his frustration with the Monaco GP ((Image: Getty))After the race, Verstappen lamented: "No one really wanted to stress their tyres too much, because you know you can't pass around here, so not really exciting. It's a bit of a shame. We are driving literally half-throttle on the straights, in a higher gear than you would normally do, four seconds off the pace.
"That's not really racing. We all know in Monaco what it is like. In the last few years it is even more difficult with the width of the cars but it is nothing new. I would like to change if possible a few little things because it would make will make it more exciting.
"Overall the weekend is really cool but it's the Sunday race that is a little bit boring. The scenery is still great but if we could find a way to race better that would be my preferred solution. And if they asked for my opinion I would try to see what is possible."
Despite the lacklustre event, Verstappen managed to maintain his lead in the F1 standings. Meanwhile, Hamilton is in eighth position, 127 points behind Verstappen and 12 behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
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