Two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Hakkinen saw similarities between Lewis Hamilton's win in Monaco and Niki Lauda's last F1 success.

Last weekend in Monte Carlo, the sport commemorated the passing of the Austrian legend, who died aged 70 earlier in the week following a battle with illness.

Given Lauda, in his role as non-executive chairman, had been pivotal in Hamilton joining Mercedes in 2013, it seemed right that Lewis would be the man to take the chequered flag on Sunday.

"His [Lauda's] last victory in Formula 1 came at the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix when he had to keep McLaren team-mate Alain Prost behind him by positioning the car to defend at each corner, and then making sure he was fast enough on the quick sections," Hakkinen explained in his UniBet column.

"This is exactly what Lewis had to do on Sunday in order to keep Max behind.

"In true Niki Lauda-style, he did exactly what was needed, positioning his car in the middle of the track to defend from Verstappen, and then making sure he got the acceleration onto the two fastest parts of the track - the pit straight and the tunnel under the Fairmont Hotel.

"This was a mature drive, and a victory Hamilton really had to fight for."

The reason for Hamilton's slow pace was a decision to put on medium compound tyres at his only pit-stop, while the rest opted for the hard rubber.

Now, Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles has explained that while realising the call was a risk, there was a good reason for it.

"In Monaco, you typically want the softest rubber you can get away with for the stint length you're trying to get to," he said in the team's YouTube Debrief video.

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"The second reason we fitted the medium tyre was there was a chance of rain in the race.

"If you could see our weather radar, you would have seen a sea of blue come in from the east towards the circuit.

"Now it actually broke up. There was a little bit of light rain during the race, we forecasted it would be slightly heavier rain than that; not enough to go to [intermediates] but enough to be very difficult on dry tyres.

"The medium may well have provided slightly more coverage on those conditions being a slightly softer compound, and that's why we erred towards that slightly softer medium compound."