Rosberg, Hamilton expecting quick Mercedes in Monaco

The Mercedes was fast in Monaco last year. Photo: AC

Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are expecting to have a competitive car in Monaco next week, especially given the team’s form there last year.

In 2012 Michael Schumacher qualified on pole while Rosberg finished second in the race. Further evidence of the team’s potential on the street track was arguably provided in qualifying in Spain, where the silver cars were quickest in the twisty third sector.

“Monaco I always look forward to,” said Rosberg when asked about his hopes by this blog. “I really like the track and I’ve always gone well there. Finally getting a good result too last year, after many years of coming close in a way. And Mercedes, we really did a good car there last year – we had the best car there last year, so there’s no reason why we can’t be good there again, definitely.

“But it is such a special, unique place that you need to go there with not too high expectations, because you don’t really know what other people have done for that specific track, which is so different to anything else.”

Hamilton confirmed that the 2012 form had given him some encouragement.

“I was back home in Monaco just the other day and they’d almost prepared the track fully,” he said. “I was running round and thinking Michael put it on pole, so it must have been pretty good. So I’m hoping that’s the same this year.”

However Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was a little more cautious: “It’s a drivers’ track, we have two quick drivers, it’s low grip, not very high energy [put into the tyres], so we could be looking competitive. But do I know? No.”