Mercedes hint at key opportunity for Lewis Hamilton in today’s F1 Italian GP

Lewis Hamilton might have been pessimistic after qualifying but Mercedes have outlined where he can make an impact in the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton was restricted to sixth on the grid after a disappointing Saturday, and he reacted by claiming it would not be possible to fight for the win at Monza.

Teammate George Russell, in P3, splits two McLarens and two Ferraris in front of Hamilton.

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director, said: "We knew it was going to be tight at the front [in qualifying].

“It was therefore not unexpected that the field was so close at the end of Q3. Ferrari managed to get both of their cars into the 0.073s gap that was between Lewis and George.

“McLaren meanwhile have been quick at every track we’ve visited recently so it was no surprise to find that we couldn't quite match them. That is both frustrating and encouraging.

“The gap to P1 was just over one tenth of a second and pole position was within touching distance for both our drivers.

"George is well placed lining up in P3. Our starts have been good recently and it's a long run to turn one.

“If we can get between the McLarens off the line, that will help our chances of a strong afternoon.

“Lewis has a bit of work to do starting from behind the Ferraris, but the degradation here looks set to be high.

“There could be plenty of opportunity to get into the fight at the front if that is the case. As we know, he is one of the best at tyre management so we can be excited as to what [Sunday] may bring."

McLaren have Lando Norris in pole position and Oscar Piastri in second.

Team boss Andrea Stella said: “Tyre behaviour will be interesting, and I think everyone will be going in with a degree of uncertainty about how it might pan-out.

“We have to work hard tonight, extract the most out of the car, and try to maximise this very strong grid position.”

Ferrari have Charles Leclerc fourth and Carlos Sainz fifth.

Their team principal Fred Vasseur said: “We were running somewhat on the low downforce side [in qualifying] which again could be a positive for [the race.

“It probably made the car more difficult to drive in qualifying, but it will give us more top speed in the race.

“In the last couple of events we had the tyre degradation under control, maybe more so than our closest competitors and had a better race performance than in qualifying.

“As for strategy, it will depend on the pace at which the opening laps are run. If it is a very high pace then a two-stop might be a consideration and the new tarmac will influence that. One thing’s for certain, it will be a very close fight and our fans will be supporting us from start to finish."

Red Bull have Max Verstappen a lowly seventh, and Sergio Perez eighth.

Christian Horner admitted: “There is an imbalance in the car, that when you sort one problem you get another, you sort the front and you cause a problem with the rear, you sort the rear and get a problem with the front, it is not connected.

“Of course, as a team we are concerned by our form but more than that it is confusing. We will work hard overnight to try and understand it, but it gives us a tough race."