Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits the world champions are at a disadvantage after the error that saw both drivers fall back in Monaco on Thursday.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were only eighth and 10th respectively in the second session, both failing to improve on their times from the morning as changes to the cars had an adverse effect on tyre performance.
“We took a wrong junction in setting up the car that we thought would be good,” the Austrian explained.
“We couldn’t back out of it. We committed to the set-up. It takes a couple of hours to undo that, more than a session lasts. We decided to just push through and collect some data.
“The issue was an overall lack of grip, which drivers complained about,” he added. “Not just the front but also the rear. It went out of the window everywhere.”
Wolff does expect the return to the previous setup, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to top the timings in the morning, will avoid a Singapore 2015-style scenario allowing Ferrari and Red Bull to capitalise.
“We were pretty competitive in the morning and so we just need to back track it. That’s not a very difficult exercise,” Toto said.
“Nevertheless we lost a session where we could have progressed a little bit. We’re lacking data.
“Now it’s about sticking heads together, staying calm and trying to work as good as possible Saturday morning.”