Lewis Hamilton believes he cannot afford another poor weekend if he wants to stop championship leader Sebastian Vettel from winning the title.
Vettel moved 25 points clear of Hamilton in the championship race after he recorded his third win of the season, while the British driver finished seventh in Monte Carlo.
Hamilton put a brave face on what has been a weekend to forget at the principality. He was only 13th on the grid after a disastrous qualifying, and although he took comfort from finishing six spots higher up in the order in Sunday's race, it marked his second sluggish display from his last three outings.
"Of course I can't afford another weekend like this," said Hamilton. "But just because you can't afford something it does not mean it is not going to happen.
"There is no point dwelling on the fact that you cannot afford it. You just work towards trying to rectify whatever issues you have and hope that you don't come across it again.
"It is not like we came here unprepared. We will regroup. The Ferrari car seems to work everywhere - they have had arguably the strongest car all year - and the next 14 races are going to be very, very difficult.
"The more races we do, the more we learn and the stronger we get.
"I was devastated after qualifying but to come away with some points is better than nothing. I would like to think that at the end of the season those points are going to be valuable."
Vettel, who claimed Ferrari's first victory on the Cote d'Azur in 16 years, now has the buffer of a race victory over Hamilton in this year's see-saw title battle.
Vettel led pole-sitter Kimi Raikkonen home in a Ferrari one-two, but his victory was somewhat overshadowed by accusations that the Italian team manipulated the result.
Ferrari's decision to pit Raikkonen from the lead five laps before Vettel - on a circuit where track position is crucial - cost the Finn what would have been his first victory in four years.
And Raikkonen, a distant fourth in the championship, cut a disconsolate figure during the podium celebrations.
Vettel denied his Ferrari team had pre-conceived a plot in order to ensure he would win and maximise the damage to Hamilton in the title race.
"There was no plan on team orders," Vettel said. "We spoke about the race before and it was clear.
"The lead driver normally gets priority, and if I had the choice to go first (into the pits), that is normally what you want to do.
"Today it worked out in my favour and I take it. There is no reason to lie. I am very happy but I can understand why Kimi is a bit more upset."
Source: PA
