Mercedes is “sharper than ever” to recover after the “dissection” of the Monaco GP

The reigning world champion had a nightmare weekend battling for the streets of Monte Carlo with Lewis Hamilton only finishing seventh while Valtteri Bottas had to retire from second place due to a botched pit stop.

Mercedes’ dramatic collapse, coupled with Max Verstappen’s win, meant Red Bull overtook its main rivals in both world championships for the first time during the V6 hybrid era.

Red Bull leads Mercedes by one point in the constructors’ championship before the weekend in Baku, while Verstappen is four points ahead of Hamilton.

“On weekends like Monaco, you always like to come back,” said Wolff.

“Nothing is easy in this sport and that’s why we love it. We know if you’re not at or close to 100% it will bite you.

On the subject of matching items

“On Monday morning I saw the same energy as when we returned from the Bahrain Test and I am delighted. We analyzed the weekend, asked ourselves tough questions, and learned some important lessons. I wish we could have raced again last weekend. “

Wolff doesn’t expect Baku to match both Mercedes’ W12 challenger and Red Bull’s 2021 car, but says the team is determined to recover from its plight in Monaco with a strong performance.

On the subject of matching items

“Although it is a completely different street circuit than Monaco, we expect it to be another more difficult one for us that does not particularly suit the characteristics and characteristics of the W12,” added Wolff.

“Red Bull will be strong again, while both Ferrari and McLaren have made great strides lately. One of the main focuses for us must be to seize the opportunities that offer us on the runaway stretches that do not suit our car – if the points are there, we have to grab them.

“In this fight it will swing back and forth, what is exciting for the sport and exciting for us. We expect another challenge on the streets of the city and after the results of the last race we are more determined and motivated than ever to come back in Baku. “

Although he arrived in Baku after his second win from the first five races, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner emphasized that his team had no illusions that Mercedes would “hit back hard”.

“I think Azerbaijan is a very different type of street circuit than Monaco,” he said. “Very, very long straights.

“It was a very strong track for Mercedes in the past, so we have no illusions that they will recover hard there.

“We have to go there and attack the weekend just like we’ve done in every race this season so far.”