Webber manages expectations ahead of Monaco

By Sarah Holt BBC Sport in Monaco

Mark Webber says he is not expecting 2010 pacesetters Red Bull to dominate this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber won easily in Spain on Sunday as Red Bull extended their pace advantage over their rivals but expects the pack to close up on Monaco's street track.

"It's unlikely we'll have that type of gap here," said Webber, whose team have been on pole for every race this year.

"Traditionally Monaco times are pretty close. But I don't see any reason why we won't be competitive again."

Red Bull blitzed the field in Barcelona after a major aerodynamic facelift to the car and Webber took pole 0.8 seconds ahead of the closest rival car, Lewis Hamilton's McLaren, and 0.106 secs in front of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Monaco is a unique race and I don't think Red Bull will have the advantage that they had in Barcelona Jenson Button

But the short, slow corners of Monaco's twisting street circuit are expected to dilute Red Bull's advantage over their rivals.

"It was an exceptional situation in Barcelona to be on pole by [almost] a second," added Webber, whose career best finish in Monaco is third when driving for Williams in 2005.

"You don't design a Formula 1 car around Monte Carlo as this place is so unique and the track layout is so different.

"It's demanding for the car and the driver but whether we'll be as dominant here remains to be seen. We've shown at every single grand prix since Singapore last year that we're competitive at most venues.

"But I think it will be very competitive this weekend with the McLarens, Ferraris and Mercedes all together."

SARAH HOLT'S BLOG Monaco, where is your magic? The media arrived to find fork-lift trucks trundling along the harbour and ladders propped unceremoniously outside Ferrari, normally the epitome of impeccable

Jenson Button - who leads the world championship by three points for McLaren ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Vettel and Webber - also anticipates that Monaco's unique challenges will help reel in Red Bull.

"Monaco is a unique race and I don't think Red Bull will have the advantage that they had in Barcelona," said Button, who ecstatically took his maiden Monaco Grand Prix win with Brawn last year.

"There are a lot of slow-speed corners here and you need good mechanical grip.

"The pace of our car in qualifying was what we hoped for but the Red Bulls had a big gap in front and that was disappointing. I'm just hoping the gap won't be as big here.

"I think it will be more mixed up here. We'll all do our best to make sure it's an exciting race rather than the Red Bulls walking off into the distance."

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