The Mercedes AMG Petronas team is hoping for a change in fortunes at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, as they aim for their first victory of the 2013 season.
The German manufacturer has enjoyed strong performance in qualifying recently, with Nico Rosberg making it three poles in three races for the team at Barcelona. However, both Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have struggled with race pace recently.
With overtaking being difficult at Monaco, both drivers are hoping for a strong weekend on a track they both enjoy.
Last year’s runner up, Nico Rosberg, said: “Monaco is always a fantastic weekend and it’s great to race in the city where I live. Knowing that all my family and friends are watching makes it very special and I love being able to drive from home into the paddock on a scooter! The surroundings definitely make Monaco the coolest track on the calendar and the atmosphere over the weekend is great.”
“I have good memories from the race last year after finishing in second place and I hope we can get another good result this time around. At the moment we have a good car for qualifying which helps in Monaco as it’s the most important qualifying session of the year as track position is so important. So that might be helpful for us but there are so many unknowns, especially with the tyres, so we will just have to wait and see,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 2008 winner, Lewis Hamilton was equally positive.
“Whilst there hasn’t been a lot of time since Barcelona, we’ve been working hard to put the disappointment of the last race behind us and focus on the opportunities ahead. Monaco is one of my favourite races of the year and I love driving the streets there. As a driver, you know that you have to perform on every single lap and it’s a challenge that I really enjoy,” he said
“It’s a real experience to see the barriers flashing past at high speed and I love the fact that the fans can get so close to the track making for a great atmosphere. Perhaps more than at many other tracks, qualifying and getting the best possible track position is crucial in Monaco, but we have to keep our focus on Sunday as well and keep working to improve our race pace. Everyone is working really hard and I know we can get there. We just need to keep motivated and work it out together.”
