Lewis Hamilton has discussed the problems he faced which led to two below-par performances at the Russian Grand Prix and Monaco Grand respectively.

The three-time World Champion is playing catch-up in the 2017 title race as Sebastian Vettel, who has finished first or second in every race so far this season, sits pretty at the top of the standings with a 25-point advantage.

The first blot on Hamilton’s copybook came in Russia, where he finished well off the pace in P4 behind team-mate and eventual race winner Valtteri Bottas.

“In Sochi, we had different car set-ups,” Hamilton told Autosport. “Initially it didn’t look like they were massively different, but just small nuances.