Mercedes realism: 'We'd expected this weekend to be tough'

Andrew Shovlin feels that Mercedes will not have an easy time this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari and Red Bull Racing were able to impress more during Friday's two free practice sessions, which is why the Mercedes chief wants to convey realism in the German racing team's press release.

"The first session went well and we seemed to have the car in a good place for both single lap and long run balance," Shovlin stated. "The second session was more difficult with both drivers suffering from a lack of rear grip. In terms of pace, it looks like our competitors found more between the sessions than we did."

George Russell still managed to do best for Mercedes with third and fifth places. Lewis Hamilton is in a tougher spot. The Briton had his engine replaced and therefore had to start the race from the back, making up a lot of positions.

"We'd expected this weekend to be tough as the car is very similar to the one that we had in Spa and with Lewis's power unit penalty, we've got a lot of ground to make up in the race before we can get him into the points."

Hamilton expects to help Russell

The seven-time world champion also noticed that Mercedes were not yet able to compete with the top teams. In qualifying, he reckons that his grid penalty will do him a favour by giving team-mate Russell a tow.