Mercedes baffled by lack of pace

Audi dominated qualifying at the Italian circuit on Saturday, and Mercedes have admitted that they are going to have to work hard to find a solution before the race.

"We don't know what the problem is," said Mika Hakkinen, who qualified 15th. "If we knew the answer we would fix the problem.

"You need good grip at the front of the car, but you need to be confident with the rear of the car. To get that balance is a very big challenge. There is definitely a lot of work to do."

"All of our drivers have had a difficult day, there is no point ignoring the truth. I don't ask for miracles from my engineers, but I believe in them."

Audi tested at the circuit back in April, although Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug dismissed that as the reason for their dominance so far this weekend.

"The testing is not an excuse," he said. "Maybe it is a small advantage, but we cannot use that to justify the gap between us.

"There are no excuses. We were not strong enough today, we didn't get it right. We need to work hard tonight to find something."