Wolff: Mercedes DON'T head to Monaco as favourites

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff reckons that Ferrari and Red Bull are the most likely candidates to claim the flag at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, as the tight corners on the streets of Monte Carlo are in contrast to the straights in which the Silver Arrows usually prosper.

The Formula One constructor's championship race looks to be between Mercedes and Ferrari in the top two positions at the moment, with Red Bull in behind in third.

Even though Wolff's team are leading and won the last Grand Prix in Spain thanks to Lewis Hamilton, he believes the Circuit de Monaco is more styled to the strengths of Red Bull and Ferrari.

“We don’t head to Monaco as favourites. They’re Red Bull and Ferrari. Red Bull are strong in slow corners and where straight-line speed is less important. Our job is to maximise the car’s potential, whatever that may be.”

Wolff describes the course as a "driver's track" in that the drivers love to be challenged by the unique, street-road format.

“The Circuit de Monaco is a driver’s track. Its tight layout and close walls mean that there is no margin for error and every mistake is punished.

“Braking as little as two metres too late can ruin the entire weekend. If you’re lucky, you end up on an escape road. If you’re unlucky, the car is wrecked. To be successful in Monaco, the driver needs to find a perfect rhythm.”

Due to how tight the track is, drivers can regularly be in close proximity to each other, and the Mercedes boss urged the need for taking advantage of practice laps in order to determine a tactic.

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“Making the most out of the practice sessions is particularly important because he can easily complete an entire session and only get a handful of clear laps, where he’s not in traffic, he continued,

“It’s up to the team to plan accordingly and find a good moment to leave the garage, enabling the driver to get in consistent laps.

“It also means that the driver needs to manage his position on track on Thursday and Saturday.

“Four or five seconds to the car in front is usually enough room in Monaco whereas a three-second gap makes the car in front a hindrance."