Mercedes stars BEMOAN their place in 'no-man's land'

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have stated that Mercedes are in ‘no-man’s land’ after a frustrating grand prix in Imola.

The German team recently brought upgrades to their car, alongside rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, and would have been hoping for improvements this weekend.

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Teams like McLaren have clearly made gains on Red Bull, with Lando Norris pressuring Max Verstappen for the win at the end of the race.

However, Mercedes were still a distance away from their closest competitors, finishing in sixth and seventh, with Hamilton ahead of Russell.

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Russell had been ahead of Hamilton for the majority of the race, until he pitted a second time with the seven-time champion staying out on a one-stop strategy.

Following the race, both Mercedes drivers provided a stark assessment of their performance in Imola, claiming that the team were in ‘no-man’s land’.

“P6 and a P7 at the end of the day as a team we scored one extra point. I lost my position to Lewis but I’m not going to sulk over losing a P6 to be honest,” Russell said to Sky Sports after the race.

“This is where we are right now a little bit in no-man’s land behind the Ferrari’s and the McLaren’s and ahead of the midfield.”

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Lewis Hamilton also echoed Russell’s sentiments, trying to draw the positives from the weekend.

“We got points so that’s a positive,” Hamilton added.

“We’re in no-man’s land but I think that’s a strong finish in general for us. I don’t think there was much more for us.”

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