Mercedes had big problems warming up the tires in one quick lap in qualifying as temperatures in Imola were very low, but in the race they showed better speed in moments when they had empty space in front of them.
Russell started 11th and with a great start broke through to sixth place in the first lap, and Hamilton did not progress significantly from the 14th starting position and at the end of the first lap he was 12th.
This largely determined their races as Hamilton spent most of the race behind slower cars, especially Gasly in AlphaTauri, while Russell coped great with faster drivers and eventually finished fourth, keeping faster Bottas in Alfa Romeo.
“This was a weekend to forget, that’s for sure,” said Hamilton, who finished 13th. 
“Behind Gasly, we both had DRS and it was impossible to overtake, and I also lost a few places in boxing. This weekend is all that could have gone wrong and gone wrong. ”
“We learn while we are alive, I don’t have much more to say. I will continue to work as hard as I can and come back. I hope for a better weekend in Miami, it will be difficult, but I will try to return to a positive state of mind. ”
“It was difficult, but at least George scored some points for the team.” So I apologize to everyone for not being able to do that. ”
“Everyone on the team feels frustrated, everyone works hard, they do their best.”
“No one is giving up and we are all trying to move forward as fast as we can.” 