Wolff jokes after crash: 'The person in the crane is from Cirque du Soleil'

Mercedes' W14 was on display for all to see after Lewis Hamilton's crash in the third free practice session, with Toto Wolff unhappy at the way the cars are hauled away in Monaco, with the Mercedes team boss saying it is more like Cirque du Soleil.

During the third free practice session, Hamilton ended his session in the wall, as Briton entered Mirabeau at slightly too much speed and was unable to avoid contact with the wall. The car had to be towed away, but on Monaco's tight circuit, this is done in a different way than elsewhere, as the W14 was lifted all the way up, leaving the underside visible to all competitors.

Wolff no fan of marshals in Monaco

"Well, whoever performed the crane has probably worked for Cirque du Soleil,'' Wolff joked after qualifying, according to Motorsport.com. The Austrian does not understand why the car cannot just be put on the back of a truck towards the pit lane. ''You’re showcasing a car to everyone in the world. That was suboptimum for us, to say the least."

Wolff's frustration is understandable after Mercedes just came to the track in Monaco with all kinds of updates. These were now visible to all competitors. Red Bull Racing went through the same thing because of Sergio Perez's crash at Sainte Devote. ''They are all from Cirque du Solei. Their car hangs straight. Ours was rear down!''

Wolff does not want to ridicule the marshals in Monaco. He makes it clear that his circus remark is a joke and that he actually has a lot of respect for the work of the marshals in Monaco. For Mercedes themselves, it was a difficult qualifying session. Hamilton will start the Monaco GP from P5, with George Russell starting from eighth.