Rocky inspires Hamilton

After scrapping his way to 12th place in the Monaco Grand Prix, world champion Lewis Hamilton said thinking of the Rocky films spurred him on during the race.

Having crashed during qualifying on Saturday, the McLaren Mercedes driver started from 19th on the grid after a gearbox change.

But despite starting the race with less fuel than cars around him, he failed to make headway around the tight street circuit.

A collision with BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld at Ste Devote in the early laps hardly helped - Hamilton's car suffering damage to a front-wing footplate.

He made his first stop as early as lap 10, with a long middle stint preceding another stop on lap 53, when the damage was repaired.

Even though his pace subsequently increased, Hamilton finished outside the points 12 months after taking a stunning win at the same track.

"It was an extremely tough race," Hamilton said. "I raced my heart out and feel satisfied with my performance today.

"I damaged a footplate on my front wing quite early on when I clipped one of the BMWs going into Ste Devote.

"It meant I had a lot of understeer throughout the race - putting a new wing on made it a bit better but it wasn't enough.

"In the closing laps, my tyres were going off just as much as Nick's and it was a bit too dangerous to attempt a pass.

"I was thinking about one of the Rocky films - in the first film, Rocky says, 'I just want to see the end of the fight' and I got to the flag, pushing as hard as I could throughout the race."

He now lies joint eighth in the drivers' standings alongside Kimi Raikkonen - who finished third on Sunday - 42 points behind Monaco Grand Prix winner Jenson Button.

Kovalainen rues exit

Meanwhile, team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was left to rue an accident that prevented a much-needed points finish for McLaren.

The Finn had been strong all weekend, qualifying seventh and holding position during the race.

Looking to close the gap to Williams driver Nico Rosberg on lap 52, however, Kovalainen pushed too hard and ended up hitting the barriers at the swimming pool.

"I hit the kerb at the fast chicane and the car's rear stepped out," he said. "I couldn't catch it and hit the guardrails.

"It was my fault and I want to say sorry to my team - who have worked so hard to provide me with a competitive car.

"We'll keep pushing, developing the car and continuing with the catching-up process."

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