Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff has called for a review of Monaco’s circuit layout following a “procession” race.
Despite having struggled with the return of porpoising due to ride height issues, Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and eighth following a difficult Monaco Grand Prix, in which the pair struggled to complete overtakes.
Wolff has therefore iterated that a review of Monaco’s tight yet twisty circuit layout is required in order to improve the racing, as he described the 2022 race as “a lesson that we need to look at this circuit layout, so people can’t drive round five seconds off the pace in a procession.”
The Team boss though insisted that Monaco is a “fantastic venue and spectacle” but believes that the racing needs to improve in order to be “great” and match the venue’s overall quality.
Wolff though wasn’t bemused by the messy start which led to the race effectively being delayed 65 minutes as heavy rain swept across the circuit just before the scheduled start, which led to a delay then red flag after two formation laps.
Explaining his thoughts on the race delays and interruptions, Wolff said: “With the length of the race, and the delays and interruptions, it felt more like an NFL game than a Grand Prix – but I’m not sure that much else could have been done.
“We need to give the race directors credit for managing a difficult situation; the rain at the beginning was torrential, then there was an issue with the connectivity for the TV broadcast which meant we couldn’t get going.”
Wolff though praised Russell for delivering another strong drive as the Brit continued to maintain his record of top-five finishes this season, whilst bemusing “a really frustrating” race for Hamilton against Alpine’s Esteban Ocon then Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton echoed Wolff’s remarks as he described his race as just “one of those days in Monaco”, having found himself frustrated by Ocon who even turned in on the seven-time champion at Saint Devote, before Alonso held him up to the checkered flag by driving his Alpine slowly.
Wolff though insisted that the team will look to fight back in Baku after gathering useful data to learn from across the Monaco weekend, as he added: “We have learned some important lessons about the car this weekend, and that learning will be the basis of rebuilding our performance to fight again at the front of the field.”
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