---
title: "Mercedes braced for difficult Monaco GP despite Barcelona breakthrough"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2022/05/26/mercedes-braced-for-difficult-monaco-gp-despite-barcelona-breakthrough/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2022-05-26T09:58:52Z"
modified: "2022-05-26T09:58:55Z"
---

# Mercedes braced for difficult Monaco GP despite Barcelona breakthrough

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says his expectations for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix are lower than “any other circuit” despite his team’s recent on-track gains.

The Brackley-based outfit made a significant breakthrough when it introduced a major upgrade package in Spain last weekend, with the updates bringing it closer to the frontrunners.

George Russell earned his second podium finish of the season after battling both Red Bull’s, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from a first-lap tangle with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen to come home P5.

But while the overall pace of the W13 was far better than previous races, Mercedes was shown to lack slow-speed performance in Barcelona’s final sector.

The circuit’s end to the lap is seen as a good indicator to how a car will perform on Monaco’s tight and twisty street circuit, and Mercedes was only the fifth-fastest car through that section.

“We have been particularly off-pace this weekend in the slow corners in the last sector,” said Wolff, as quoted by RaceFans.

Wolff revealed this partly had been “due to overheating” with the high temperatures forcing Russell and Hamilton to back off in the closing stages.

While the team hope this issue won’t reoccur in Monaco, Wolff could not look past its recent results in the Principality where it has struggled on previous visits.

“Monaco in the past wasn’t our most happy place, maybe because the car had the size of an elephant,” Wolff said. “But I’ll be curious to see where we are this weekend.

“We still struggled with the warm-up a little bit. So my expectations for Monaco are lower than on any other circuit. I’m not sure I can explain scientifically why that is, but it’s going to be another learning point, at least, to bring us back into into the game.”