Lewis Hamilton hopes rain can spare him from more misery at Monaco Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton said only a wet race could spare him from more misery at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

As home favourite Charles Leclerc romped to his third pole in as many races, Hamilton slumped to eighth, two places behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Hamilton’s brilliant comeback drive to fifth at the Spanish Grand Prix a week ago provided him with some hope that he can haul himself back into the title mix.

But Hamilton, already 64 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen heading into the seventh round of 22, is poised to lose further ground on Monte Carlo’s impossible-to-overtake streets.

While the principality has bathed in sizzling sun so far this weekend, there is a six in 10 chance that rain could impact Sunday’s race.

“I am not doing any dancing but I do want it to rain so I am not just driving around in the dry in eighth,” said Hamilton.

“You cannot overtake so I am hoping that the weather plays up and maybe we can do a different strategy.

“We were not very good in the low-speed corners at the last race so I anticipated it would be difficult, but it is worse than we anticipated because it is super-bouncy.

“It would be nice to have some luck for once. I have been having bad luck all year so it is bound to stop at some stage.”

Hamilton’s final comment was in reference to a dramatic conclusion to qualifying which saw the running red-flagged with just half-a-minute left on the clock.

Sergio Perez crashed into the wall on the entrance to the tunnel with Carlos Sainz collecting the Mexican’s stricken Red Bull machine.

Neither driver was injured in the slow-speed smash, but with a Red Bull and Ferrari blocking the track, the session was suspended and would not be restarted.

Hamilton was on a speedier lap