Brawn tips Ferrari fightback in Monaco

Ferrari have been tipped to reassert their dominance over Mercedes at the Monaco Grand Prix by Formula 1 motorsport chief Ross Brawn. Lewis Hamilton led a Silver Arrows one-two in Barcelona, but the constructors' champions are expected to play second fiddle to Ferrari, and possibly Red Bull also, around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas qualified on the front row at the Circuit de Catalunya and duly brought home maximum points after Ferrari's gamble to pit Sebastian Vettel an extra time backfired.

However, Ferrari were dominant at Monaco last year, Vettel leading Kimi Raikkonen home, with Daniel Ricciardo completing the podium.

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And Brawn, a former team principal of both Ferrari and Mercedes, expects the balance of power to switch back towards the red cars this week.

"For the first time this season, Mercedes was the dominant force from start to finish over the weekend," said Brawn.

"Barcelona was its second win of the year, but it was a far more commanding performance than the one in Baku.

"Hamilton and Bottas showed a flash of what we had seen in qualifying in Melbourne, namely their and the car's full potential.

"Hamilton in particular had a weekend in which he was untouchable, especially in the race.

"It's not that clear cut [in Monaco], because I expect that the Scuderia will fight back, as will Red Bull, who were competitive in Spain, but not enough to fight for pole or the win.

"For the first time this year, Ferrari really showed a drop in form.

"In all four previous races, the Italian team was always in the fight for pole, taking three out of the four, and for the win, which suggested the SF71H was the best car.

"Next up comes the Monaco Grand Prix and I expect to see Ferrari back on the pace there, capable of winning."