Wolff not confident of good outcome due to 'bad' starting position

Mercedes may have secured pole position in Imola with Lewis Hamilton, but for the first time in a long time, they find themselves in a vulnerable position before the race. That's because the roles between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes have reversed relative to Bahrain.

Back then Verstappen was on pole with two Mercedes cars behind him, now Hamilton will have to fight Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff this is a huge advantage for Red Bull. Especially since their drivers also start the race with different strategies.

"If you look at the data, the soft tyre is much better from the start. Perez is also handling the tyres well, although he will still have to change sooner. But it's always bad to be between two opponents with one car, especially if they have a different strategy, that makes it extra difficult for tomorrow," Wolff told Sky Germany.

The importance of track position at Imola means Perez's soft tyre could be the right strategy for him. An early stop would put him in the lead after the first series of pitstops and it would be difficult to overtake him.