Lewis Hamilton should have won Monaco Grand Prix - Nico Rosberg

Nico Rosberg admitted to "mixed" feelings over his Monaco Grand Prix success after a team error cost Lewis Hamilton victory.

A decision by their Mercedes team to pit Hamilton under a late safety car handed the win to Rosberg.

"Lewis did a great job and deserved to win - I'm very well aware of that. I feel for him because it's such a horrible way to lose," said Rosberg.

"On the other side a win is a win. Luck is such a big factor in sport."

Rosberg, 29, added: "I have a lot of space for empathy towards Lewis because I know how horrible a day it is for him after such a strong weekend.

"To lose it like that, that really sucks, so I have a lot of capacity for that and I do feel that."

The German's third consecutive win in Monaco means he is now just 10 points adrift in the championship, below 30-year-old Hamilton who finished third behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

But he said: "I'm not really thinking about that. Of course it is good for all that, but I am just enjoying the win."

Rosberg said that during the race he still did not feel assured of victory, even after Hamilton's pit stop, because the Englishman was rejoining on fresh 'super-soft' tyres while he and Vettel were on used 'softs', which is a slower tyre even when they are the same age.

Rosberg also said he was confused about what had happened to Hamilton, who rejoined from the pits right next to Vettel, but was crucially fractionally behind when they reached the designated point that decides positions, so had to cede second place.

"I was like, 'where did he go?' Then all of a sudden I see what I thought looked like wheels banging behind me between a Mercedes and a Ferrari and I was like: 'What the hell is going on there?' Until I figured out.

"At the time I still thought Lewis would win because coming out on fresh super-softs, we were on stone-cold 40-lap-old whatever hard tyres which was going to be a massive mission to not hit the wall with, because it felt treacherous out there.

"I was sure he would win it, but the temperature came back quick and I could do some good lap times."