Mercedes are looking forward to the Monaco Grand Prix, as the Silver Arrows prepare to unveil key changes to the design of their W14 in a bid to fix its aerodynamic failures.
The Silver Arrows had hoped to test out the new design around Imola but the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix saw them push back the rollout to Monaco.
However, while Mercedes are looking to get back on track at the famous street circuit, team principal Toto Wolff does not expect to see Lewis Hamilton or George Russell fighting at the front with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez just yet.
“Of course, we would have liked to see how we were doing with the new car,” Wolff told oe24.
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“When you completely revamp a car, you want to know what the upgrade package can do.
“Unfortunately, that (challenging Red Bull) won’t happen any time soon. But I’m hoping for a step forward.
“We had to react to Red Bull’s superiority. Because we couldn’t find a solution to make the old car fast at the front or rear, we rebuilt the underbody, bodywork (e.g. side boxes, ed.) and front wheel suspension.
“There are no miracles in Formula 1. We won’t go half a second faster now, but hopefully, we’ll have fewer problems and can continue to work with a competitive car. So far it has been too stiff and stubborn.”
Mercedes have enjoyed a few wheel-to-wheel fights with Red Bull this year, including at the Australian Grand Prix and in Azerbaijan but the title-leaders have been unstoppable on both occasions.
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Hamilton had to settle for P2 in Melbourne, the only podium Mercedes has secured so far this year, while Russell finished the Baku Sprint race in fourth place.
Even if Mercedes find a way to get back to the top step of the podium, Red Bull already have a healthy lead in the Constructors’ Standings.
After just five rounds, Red Bull has a lead of 122 points over their nearest rival Aston Martin and 128 in front of Mercedes.