Nico Rosberg optimistic over start and braking progress for Monaco

The German spent much of his day's test at Barcelona this week focusing on these two areas - both of which will be essential to improve if he is to overcome Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Monte Carlo.

Well aware that he needs to get some momentum back behind him after losing the championship lead to Hamilton in Spain, Rosberg says he has some faith about the steps forward.

"I had a productive day of testing in Barcelona where we made some good progress with braking and starts: two areas that I feel are costing me time at the moment," he said.

"Hopefully that will give me the extra edge next weekend. It should be an exciting weekend and I can't wait to get started."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says his team is doing all it can to help improve Rosberg's starts, especially since updates tried out at Barcelona in this area did not pay off.

"We have a problem on Nico's car," said Wolff. "It seems to be related to the clutch. That is a special project of ours.

"We expected some improvements for Barcelona which didn't kick in as expected. We just need to sort it out for Monaco because it's quite crucial there."

BRAKES JUST AS CRUCIAL IN MONACO

Although Monaco is not among the season's toughest tracks for brakes, its unique characteristics mean that driver confidence in this area is important.

The key to a quick lap is being able to hustle a car under braking - while also being able to manage the temperatures of the brake fluid to prevent overheating.

As a Brembo preview to the race weekend stated: "The braking sections are not particularly sudden, but the time spent on the brakes here is among the highest of the season at 21 per cent."