Mercedes reveals "big setup changes" between practice sessions and qualifying

F1 Grand Prix, GP Monaco, Monte Carlo Circuit

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin conceded that the W16 has lacked outright pace over a singly flying lap since the start of the weekend which forced George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli to take extra risks in qualifying.

Mercedes endured a very difficult session at Monte Carlo. George Russell lost power and ground to a halt through the tunnel in Q2. Although he was eager to restart his car, he was unable to get going again, and will only line up 14th on the grid tomorrow.

His rookie team mate Andera Kimi Antonelli suffered a big moment in Q2. The Bologna-born driver made a crucial error of clipping the inside wall at the Nouvelle Chicane on his final lap in Q1, which saw him crash into the exit barriers.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin conceded that the W16 has lacked outright pace over a singly flying lap since the start of the weekend which forced Russell and Antonelli to take extra risks.

"It is really disappointing to be this far down the grid with both of our cars for tomorrow’s race. We’ve been struggling the entire weekend with our single laps, and it has not been easy on our drivers.

"That has put them under a lot of pressure this weekend to deliver fast laps at the critical moments and that definitely contributed to Kimi’s incident. Drivers are always on the limit here in Monaco and a little mistake can cost a lot. That was certainly true on his side of the garage and that left him P15.

As for the tyre compounds, Shovlin noted: "On George’s side, he was pleased with the progress we had made since the end of FP3. We had been making significant setup changes from FP1 through to Qualifying and it felt like we had found a good pace by the start of Q1. That allowed George to only use one set of Soft tyres in that segment and would have been beneficial in the latter parts of Qualifying.

"In Q2, we decided to go for the Medium tyres as they appeared to be quick as well. Our session came to an end shortly after with a loss of power after hitting a bump. We're investigating the cause of that, but it looks like an electrical issue.

With the Monaco Grand Prix set to feature a mandatory two-stop strategy, Shovlin hopes that Mercedes will be able to make progress during the 78-lap race.

"Starting P14 and P15, we will review all the strategic options for tomorrow’s race overnight. We know that starting so far back that it won’t be an easy Grand Prix.

"The silver lining is that with the mandatory two stops regulation, it should afford us more flexibility and create more opportunities. It hopefully will increase our chances to make progress, and we will stand ready to take advantage," concluded Shovlin.