'Ferrari looks really quick and Red Bull as well'

Mercedes does not have an easy time in Monaco. The team has trouble heating the tyres on the track, which is why Valtteri Bottas lost a lot of time. He set sixth and fifth fastest times in the first two free practices.

Afterwards, the Finnish driver explained to the official Formula 1 website where the problem was. "Today, for the first lap, I couldn’t get them [the tyres] to work yet," Bottas stated. "We need to work hard tomorrow and try to figure it out. I feel like some cars might have a bit of an advantage to us on that,” he explained.

"I feel like I'm quite short of front end on this circuit," the driver continued. "We've had problems in the middle of the corner on some circuits, but they're mostly small-speed corners. If you don't have a feeling with the front, whether it's going to turn in or not, then you quickly lose quite a lot of time."

Opportunities for Red Bull and Ferrari

Bottas expects rival Red Bull Racing to have a good weekend. Ferrari also impressed in the free practice sessions. "Yes, Ferrari looks really quick and Red Bull as well. It’s not going to be only about two teams, so it should be fun."