Mercedes will arrive at the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with the upgrades it originally planned to introduce at the cancelled Imola event.
On Wednesday, Formula 1 confirmed that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix had been called off due to flooding in the area.
Mercedes, as well as various other teams, were due to run a series of upgrades at the event.
Mercedes labelled it an initial step on its recovery toward the front of the field amid its difficult start to the 2023 campaign.
“What we are going to be bringing to the track in Imola is the first step of that work,” said Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin, speaking before the race cancellation.
“This takes quite a long time to develop in the wind tunnel and you can’t just do these things overnight.
“The Imola package is the first step in that direction. We are hoping to bring other updates later in the year.
“We do hope that it is quicker, we hope that it’s better in terms of qualifying and race pace. The key thing though is that we are not just looking to bring a lap time update, we are looking to head off in a different development direction.
“One that we think gives us a better chance in the long term of being able to challenge for race wins and World Championships.
But after the weekend was cancelled, it was speculated that the upgrades would be pushed to the Spanish Grand Prix, one week after Monaco.
However, a Mercedes spokesperson has confirmed to Motorsport Week that the new parts will be fitted to the car in Monaco.
The decision comes despite the low-speed nature of the circuit and the challenge it may present to understand the potential of upgrades.
In addition, the higher probability of a crash around the narrow circuit could leave the team short on new parts relating to its upgraded package if a driver makes contact with the wall.
It is uncertain if other teams will choose to bring their upgrades to Monaco, however it is understood that Ferrari is set to delay its new suspension and introduce it in Barcelona.
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