Lewis Hamilton admits that the Monaco Grand Prix was a "miserable" experience as he was left "in no man's land" en route to a fifth-placed result.
The Ferrari driver had shown an up-turn in form prior to Sunday's race, Qualifying fourth for his best Saturday result this season ahead of a Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Norris takes victory over Leclerc and Piastri in gripping Monaco Grand Prix
But the seven-time World Champion was demoted three-places on the grid for impeding Max Verstappen, which dropped him to a seventh-placed start in the Principality.
Well-timed pit stops, with all drivers required to make two in a first for the Monaco race, allowed Hamilton to move ahead of Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso come the chequered flag, which he believes was the maximum possible.
Hamilton finished fifth but 51 seconds behind winner Norris
"I think from where I was, a three-place grid penalty moving forwards back to fifth, I think was decent – the best I could do," said Hamilton.
When asked if the experience of racing at Monaco had been enjoyable, Hamilton replied: "No, it was miserable.
"The races here are generally, unless you're first and in the lead, even when you're in the lead, it's not that fun. Just a nice reward at the end but other than that, anything but first is kind of empty."
Despite finishing fifth, Hamilton was 51 second behind race winner Lando Norris as Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc finished just a few seconds in arrears as the runner-up.
Hamilton was left unable to give an answer as to why the gap had been so large, stating "it just happens" to Sky Sports F1.
"For me, I was kind of in the middle of nowhere," Hamilton added.
Hamilton satisfied with ‘decent’ result in Monaco after making up two places
"Obviously I started with the penalty I had down in seventh, was obviously behind two cars for some time and then managed to clear them and then I was kind of just in no man's land after that. I think the gap was relatively big and I wasn't racing anyone.
"I needed the Safety Car or something to come into play but it didn't happen so it was just pretty straightforward from there."
Hamilton was also left frustrated by radio communications with his engineer, at one point being told to push, which left the Briton confused.
"The information wasn't exactly that clear, I didn't understand 'this is our race' [comment]," said Hamilton.
"I didn't know what I was fighting for. Was I fighting for the next spot ahead or... but in actual fact when I look at the data, I wasn't anywhere near the other guys up front so I used my tyres a lot in that moment but I was so far away from them."
Don't miss your chance to experience F1 racing in Barcelona...
EXCLUSIVE: Newey on improving Aston Martin’s ‘weak’ tools, being a ‘maverick’ and focusing on 2026
WATCH: Drivers and team bosses react after getting their own ‘F1’ movie screening in Monaco
Facebook Conversations