Mercedes: "Even in years when we won with some ease, we struggled here"

The Monaco Grand Prix marked a bitter milestone for Mercedes: they lost the lead in both the drivers' and constructors' championship. Enough for technical director James Allison to christen the race the German team's "Achilles heel".

It is a scenario we are not used to in recent years of Formula 1: Mercedes not getting further than seventh place. It was the maximum Lewis Hamilton could have achieved, and his result secured the only points for the team. Valtteri Bottas seemed to have less trouble in the streets of Monte Carlo, but problems during his pit stop meant he had to go home without any points.

Mercedes: Monaco is our Achilles' heel

The conclusion that can be drawn from the weekend, according to Allison, is that Monaco is simply not a Mercedes circuit. "Even in years when we won the championship with some ease, we struggled here," Allison explained to Motorsport.com. "Despite the fact that we usually have a car that can attack on any track, this is our Achilles heel."

He says the irony of the whole story is that tyre consumption is one of the car's strongest assets, but it is precisely a pain point in Monaco. "We need to find out what we're doing wrong here, what we do every year that just isn't right for here," the Mercedes technical director said.