Mercedes looking to ramp up speed ahead of Baku
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Lewis Hamilton driving past the Monte Carlo Casino and the Hotel de Paris during Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished seventh and conceded the championship lead to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON • Technical director James Allison said the mood at Mercedes was "lower than a snake's belly" after Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix and the search was on to find the Formula One champions' missing speed.
Valtteri Bottas retired while in second place after his front wheel could not be removed in a pit stop that never restarted, and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished seventh.
Mercedes, winners of the last seven constructors' and drivers' titles, and Hamilton lost their championship leads to Red Bull and Max Verstappen respectively, but hope to get things back in order in time for the June 6 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
However, the streets of Baku is another one where Red Bull are expected to be strong.
"We know that the only thing to do is pick yourself back up, figure out actually why we were slow, because it's the slowness that is the main pain, and deal with it and come back and do it all again at the next race," said Allison.
"And hopefully again and again, until we eke out the sort of lead that can cope with a screw-up like today."
Hamilton had won three of the first four races, going wheel-to-wheel with Red Bull's Verstappen in all of them, but the Dutchman was out of reach on Sunday as he won to lead the championship for the first time.
However, Allison will take comfort in the fact that Mercedes have struggled before on the streets of Monaco while going on to win championships with some ease.
On the circuit remaining a "significant Achilles heel" for their car, he said: "We need to figure out from first principles what are we getting wrong at this track, what is it that we are doing year on year that is just not right for here?"
Meanwhile, Ferrari said on Monday the driveshaft hub failure that prevented pole-sitter Charles Leclerc from starting his home Monaco race was a result of his crash in qualifying the day before.
A spokesman added upon the car's return to the Maranello factory, checks had determined the left hub was compromised in the accident.
The part then broke after five corners as Leclerc was going to the starting grid. The left side of the car, which did not bear the brunt of the right side impact in Saturday's crash, was also not on an initial in-depth checklist and Ferrari said they would broaden their checks in future.
REUTERS
