Haryanto: It was a difficult race

Rio Haryanto admitted that he had a “tough day” at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, but was still proud to have competed at the event.

The Manor driver, who is turning out in his maiden Formula 1 campaign, finished in a career-best 15th in Monaco, but has still yet to secure his first points of the season.

Haryanto was pleased with his first two stints during the race, but he lost pace after his second stop and was frustrated that he had to constantly leave the racing line to allow other drivers to lap him.

The Indonesian driver finished four laps behind winner Lewis Hamilton and believes that the wet conditions and dropping temperatures in his tyres were to blame.

“A difficult race today,” Haryanto said. “Obviously the first part was quite tricky for everyone with the wet conditions but actually when the race got underway I was able to keep pace; the first two stints were okay for me.

“Then, towards the end, there was a lot of traffic and under the blue flags I was struggling to keep temperature in the tyres, so I was losing lap time.”

After an arduous time in Monaco, Haryanto is now looking forward to the Canadian Grand Prix as he believes the track in Montreal will suit his car better.

“Although it’s been a tough day, it has also been a real privilege to race in my first Monaco Grand Prix,” he said. “Now we look forward to Canada, which is a track that should suit us better.”