"It looks to me like a desperate measure" - F1 pundit's take on Mercedes bringing its upgrade package to Monaco

Former F1 driver turned presenter Jolyon Palmer explained how desperate Mercedes would look if they brought an upgrade package to the 2023 F1 Monaco GP.

The historic track in Monaco is one of the trickiest ones to drive, and learning about a new upgrade package would be a difficult one. However, the Silver Arrows are slightly desperate to take major steps in the new path they have taken to close the gap to the front.

Speaking on the Monaco GP preview video by F1, Palmer explained how tricky it can be to gauge a new part or upgrade package in Monaco, simply because of how different it is from other tracks.

"I have been in this situation with Lotus when they became Renault when parts were so few and far between," Jolyon Palmer said. "And it was very much...you crash, we might be racing, but we certainly won't be racing with a new part.

"That's the thing with Monaco: It is not the place to bring upgrades. The track is so different to anything else, they will be running the car in a completely different configuration because it's high downforce anyway."

Later on, when the Spanish GP came into the discussion, which will be held after Monaco, Palmer mentioned how it is the traditional track for testing not only new parts but entirely new F1 cars.

Hence, he feels that Mercedes should bring the new upgrade to Barcelona. However, if the team plans to update their cars in Monaco, then it will be clear how desperate they are to close the gap.

"That's the thing: you have Barcelona, which is one week after, which is a traditional test track, where you can really evaluate new upgrades," Palmer said. "You don't want to be destroying them in Monaco, and running out, and not being able to bring what you want to Barcelona, where you can really get a read on it."

"So they have to trust the drivers and Mercedes if they are going to bring it," he added. "They have got a decent pair to do that, but I think it looks to me like a bit of a desperate measure."

---

Toto Wolff believes Mercedes can give Lewis Hamilton a championship-winning car once again

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes that his team can still improve and will give Lewis Hamilton a championship-winning car in the future, through which he can win his eighth world title before hanging his boots.

Wolff admits that even the seven-time world champion knows that he is not competing for the drivers' championship. As quoted by formulapassion, Wolff said:

“I think he feels very strong and we too think that this year we will not race for the drivers' championship. This is what it looks like at the moment we just need to give him a car that is capable of doing that, and hopefully, we can build a winning package for this season and then have something more that can take him to his eighth title."

Ever since Mercedes failed to perform well in F1, there have been huge question marks over Lewis Hamilton's future with the team. To add more to the speculation, he has not yet renewed his contract with them. However, both Toto Wolff and Hamilton have clearly stated that the legendary driver will not leave the team.