George Russell and Lewis Hamilton delivered encouraging performances for Mercedes at the Monaco Grand Prix, showcasing improved car pace and strong racecraft.
While a strategic gamble was thwarted by a red flag on the opening lap caused by Hulkenberg, both drivers secured points finishes, highlighting positive signs for the team’s development.
“That was the best race of our season so far,” declared Russell. “We had good pace and were able to show that near the end, despite being on 70-lap old Medium tyres. We were closing on the top four at the end and only finished a handful of seconds off P1. There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend as a whole.”
The initial strategy saw Mercedes starting Russell and Hamilton on hard tires, aiming to capitalize on potential safety car interventions or pit stops by the leading cars.
However, as Russell explained, “We spent a lot of time this morning going through all the strategy options. When we lined up on the grid, and everyone ahead was on the Medium compound, I was very happy. That looked even better when Carlos (Sainz) stopped on the opening lap.”
Unfortunately, a red flag on lap one forced them to switch to medium tires, disrupting their original plan.
Despite the change, both drivers displayed impressive tire management. Russell expertly navigated the race, commenting, “I spent the first 30 laps taking it easy and in the end, I was able to keep the tyres in a good place and get to the end. Max (Verstappen) put me under a bit of pressure at the end but it was all pretty controlled.”
Hamilton echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the limitations of the race but looking forward to the future. “The race today was non-eventful,” he stated.
“Everyone was managing their pace after the red flag and ultimately,whatever tire you were on, you could make it to the end. That took away our options of making forward progress which was frustrating. I’m looking forward to going to Canada and seeing what we can do there.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, remained optimistic despite the strategic setback. “Overall, we’ve had a positive weekend,” he said.
“We were much closer than we have been in Qualifying so far this year and showed good pace throughout the race. That was despite the first lap red flag which took away many of our strategy options.”
Highlighting the team’s progress, he continued, “the trajectory is going in the right direction. We’ve understood where we need to improve the balance car and we’re bringing updates to enhance that. We know there will be ups and downs depending on the circuits we go to but overall, I am happy with the development direction. Let’s see how we perform in Canada.”