"Even in the race we didn’t have enough pace" - Mercedes found its 'life quite difficult' at 2022 F1 Monaco GP

Mercedes have attributed their difficulties at the 2022 Monaco GP to the W13’s lack of pace. Andrew Shovlin, the team’s head of trackside engineering, believes the circuit highlighted the car’s weaknesses once again.

Describing the race as “frustrating”, Shovlin felt that they simply lacked pace throughout the weekend, especially during the race amid tricky conditions. Speaking in Mercedes’ post-race debrief video, he said:

“It’s been a frustrating weekend for the team and drivers. We weren’t anywhere near quick enough on one lap but even in the race we didn’t have enough pace. We’ve clearly got work to do ahead of Baku as there are a lot of similarities between the cornering sections and this track has highlighted our weaknesses.”

After seemingly rebounding from their early season problems at the Spanish GP, Mercedes’ form slumped back once again in Monaco. The German team found new limitations with their car around the tight and bouncy street circuit that exacerbated their porpoising issue.

Unable to fix the violent bouncing due to a lack of adequate suspension travel, the team were forced to significantly raise the car’s ride height, costing them valuable downforce. As a result, their qualifying performances took a hit. Given the difficulty in overtaking around Monte Carlo, they were unable to make any progress on race day.

Furthermore, according to Shovlin, colder track temperatures worked against the team, making tire warm up harder and increasing the potential for graining. He said:

“It also seemed that the cold conditions were making life quite difficult for the tyres and both our cars dropped off towards the end of the race.”

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Mercedes calls for changes to Monaco GP circuit after a frustrating race for Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff wants changes to the Monaco GP circuit layout after a frustrating 2022 race saw the team fail to make any progress during race day.

After Fernando Alonso in P7 held up more than half the grid — including Lewis Hamilton — while driving at nearly 3 seconds off the pace, Wolff has called for improved racing around Monte Carlo. Speaking in a post-race interview, he said:

“That was the usual chaotic race in Monaco – and once again, 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. This is a fantastic venue and spectacle – but it would be great if the racing could be at the same level.”

In recent years, the size and mass of F1 cars has grown steadily. Consequently, the Monaco GP has mostly become a procession with the only action on track taking place during the pit stop phases. With 2022 cars being wider and heavier than ever, the problems were further exacerbated.