Mercedes had yet another mixed race weekend in Monaco, with George Russell netting yet another P5 finish while Lewis Hamilton had his race compromised behind the Alpine of Fernando Alonso, eventually coming in home in P8 at the end of the shortened Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff afterwards discussed the mixed conditions which led to a delayed start to Sunday afternoons race.

“I think the rain at the beginning was torrential,” Wolff said to MotorLAT and other media outlets.

“I don’t think you can start the race with thunderstorms moving into Monaco like this. So I have no beef at all with the start having been delayed a few times. You need to give the race directors credit because this was a very difficult race to manage.”

The Mercedes boss continued to state he believed the race should have started sooner but was unable to due to technical issues.

“I would have hoped for an earlier start when it dried up, but I think there was a problem with connectivity with Biggin Hill, and that’s why they couldn’t get it going.”

When asked his opinion on the early conclusion of the race, which ended on lap 65 instead of the original 77, Wolff joked there was no point dragging the race on for another hour, before commenting on the track's difficulty when it comes to racing.

“Well you want to drag the race out for another hour?” he joked.

“I think what we need to look at is Monaco. If a car can slow down by almost 5 seconds and hold everyone up, it’s just a shame for the racing here. Maybe we can look at the track layout or things we can do so we’re not getting a procession or a strategy game or a qualifying race.”

Wolff was also quizzed on what Hamilton’s potential could have been had he not been stuck behind Alonso who was managing his pace due to the nature of the circuit and the difficulty in overtaking.

“First of all there was the incident with Esteban [Ocon] for which he got a penalty. He could have been right there and closed Lando [Norris]’s pitstop window and even fought with George [Russell] and Lando because that was his pace.

“The regs are the regs and there’s nothing to say. You can see another lesson that track position is everything in Monaco. 5 seconds is like a Formula 2 car. 

“This is such a spectacle here, such a fantastic venue and it’s always amazing to be here. But I think we need to maybe look in a way at the layout. Maybe close the loop for five seconds slower and you still can’t overtake.”

Wolff then went on to discuss the team’s performance as a whole during the Monaco Grand Prix, acknowledging that the team’s pace is good enough for P5 and P6.

“We had a few podiums before but this is only when something goes wrong at the front. At the moment I don’t want anything [gifted to us]. Our team is only third on the road and that’s why the positions are 5th and 6th, it’s where we belong. This is not where we want to be.

“If you are inheriting a podium, it’s nice, good for the points long-term. But I don’t want any of that. I want to be part of winning at the front and [these are] important lessons that we learn here.”