Mercedes says its expectations are “less than any other circuit” for this weekend’s Monaco GP, which will be seen live on Sky Sports F1; watch Saturday’s qualifier at 3pm and Sunday’s race at 2pm
By Matt Morlidge
Last updated: 25/05/22 19:04
Mercedes believes it took a “big step” last weekend, but admits its expectations are low for the Monaco GP, with Toto Wolff saying the famous F1 street circuit is not the “happy place of the ‘team’.
Mercedes enjoyed the most promising weekend of the season at the Spanish GP, with the third and fifth of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton making Wolff declare that the world champions are back in the title race.
But the Silver Arrows team leader also stressed that there was still a gap between Red Bull and Ferrari leaders.
“We’ve seen another big step, we’ve probably halved the lead in the first half,” Wolff said. “But there is still a long way to go to be in the fight.”
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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was pleased with his performance jump over the weekend in Spain after George Russell finished third and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was pleased with his performance jump over the weekend in Spain after George Russell finished third and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
Mercedes seemed to solve their porpoise problems in Barcelona and the lack of straights in Monaco would usually mean they have more confidence in their opportunities. But Monte Carlo was not a particularly strong race for Mercedes, even in its dominant years – with Red Bull often brilliant – and therefore Wolff is more cautious than ever during the most famous F1 weekend.
“Monaco in the past wasn’t our happiest place,” Wolff said, with Mercedes only winning one of Monaco’s last four GPs. “Maybe because the car was the size of an elephant!
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Despite watching Charles Leclerc retire from the race lead, Ferrari team manager Mattia Binotto tried to pull off the positives of his weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Despite watching Charles Leclerc retire from the race lead, Ferrari team manager Mattia Binotto tried to pull off the positives of his weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya.
“I’ll be curious to see where we are this weekend. My expectations are lower than any other circuit … it will be a learning point at least, to get us back in the game.”
Ferrari, meanwhile, has downplayed Mercedes’ rebirth, insisting they still have room to recover if they want to join the fight with Red Bull.
“Congratulations to them, they recovered and improved the speed of their car,” Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto told Sky Sports F1.
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Before this weekend’s Grand Prix, check out some of Monaco’s best previous races
Before this weekend’s Grand Prix, check out some of Monaco’s best previous races
“On Saturday [in Spain] it was six, seven tenths in a qualifying lap which is still a short circuit. They finished 30 seconds behind a Red Bull on Sunday, and may have been 40 seconds behind Charles. [Leclerc, who retired].
“That’s six, seven tenths per lap and that’s still significant, it’s like Ferrari last year.”
Ferrari was a distant third in the championship last season, making Binotto’s comments even more relevant.
F1 2022 continues with a must-see Monaco GP as drivers return to the sacred sports field. Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1, with the race on Sunday at 2pm.