Wolff cautions his drivers ahead of Monaco race

Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix sees Formula 1’s drivers hit the streets of the principality again - and two of its most high-profile stars will do so with a warning ringing in their ears.
Two weeks after the much-discussed collision between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Barcelona, team boss Toto Wolff has cautioned his drivers to bring their cars back intact this time around.
“Barcelona was tough to take,” Wolff said.”We came away upset at an opportunity missed - but this is racing.
“The drivers know how we operate. The team is responsible for giving them the best possible cars and they are responsible for getting the best out of them - and bringing them home.
“When we let them down, we apologise - and the same goes the other way. It’s a pretty normal culture - we deal with setbacks together and move on.”
Aside from their boss, Hamilton and Rosberg will be wary of the stiffest competition they have faced in around two-and-a-half years in the shape of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s 18-year-old wonderkid Max Verstappen, the sensational winner of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Despite that, the two drivers were bullish about their chances this weekend - Rosberg unsurprisingly so, given he’s won the race for the past three years.
“It’s one of my home races next in Monaco - the ultimate driver’s track,” Rosberg said.”It’s where I grew up and where I still live today, so that always makes it a special weekend.
“It’s been amazing to win there for the past three years - but I know it will be tough to repeat that with Lewis, the Ferraris and the Red Bulls all so strong now.
“I’m feeling confident, so bring on the battle.”
The Monaco race is unique with first and second practice being Thursday rather than Friday, though qualifying is held as usual on Saturday before Sunday’s race.
Hamilton, for his part, prepared for the showdown on the streets with a trip down the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, where he arrived at the premiere of La Fille Inconnue hand-in-hand with the Russian model and actor Irina Shayk.
The British driver revealed on his Facebook page that he’d told Shayk he wanted to play James Bond one day and that she should be his Bond girl.
He neglected to name his choice of Bond villain.
An error by Hamilton’s team last year in Monaco, which saw him called into the pits by mistake, effectively cost him the race - and has made him even more determined to come out on top this time around.
“I’ve not had the best run of results in Monaco in recent years - but last year showed I have the pace to do the job,” he said.”I’m approaching this weekend with only one result in mind.”
If Hamilton is to win his third Formula 1 Championship in a row, it’s imperative he make up ground on Rosberg.
Already 43 points behind, the Englishman’s most recent win came last October in the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Rosberg, by contrast, will be looking to emulate his hero, Ayrton Senna.
The legendary Brazilian is the only driver to have won four times in a row in Monaco and Rosberg’s first memories of motor racing are of Senna, in his yellow helmet, taking the chequered flag.
Mercedes boss Wolff, meanwhile, will be happy should either of his drivers win it - and if they both bring their cars back in one piece.