Andrew Shovlin of Mercedes is very pleased with George Russell's starting position. The Briton may start on the front row on Sunday, due to some grid penalties of fellow drivers. The Mercedes chief calls this unforeseen position the best possible scenario.

Russell qualified sixth, but by taking advantage of grid penalties he can start the race from P2. Many drivers took advantage of grid penalties this weekend to avoid receiving a penalty in Singapore or Japan. During Friday's practice sessions, the Mercedes drivers could notice that the low downforce levels of Monza did not suit their car very well. At the rear, the car was very sensitive and broke out faster. Both drivers suffered from this, although things went much better on Saturday.

Risk

Shovlin admits in the Mercedes press release after qualifying that he took a risk by saving a set of his new tyres for the final run in qualifying. "We didn't realise it would be quite that tight when we made the call but luckily his first run was good enough for P6 which means he inherits P2 for tomorrow and we still have a new set of softs available."

The Mercedes engineer also says he cannot anticipate the course of Sunday's race. "So many cars are out of position, and this is a race that rarely passes without incidents." Shovlin hopes to keep the pace with Russell to stay at the front and calls it a catch-up race for Hamilton. "It will depend on how easily we can overtake the slower cars and how well we can manage the tyres compared to our competitors."