MONZA, Italy -- Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was surprised to see how much title rivals Ferrari struggled to match his team's pace at the Italian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton eased to victory at Ferrari's home race ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, who looked destined to finish a comfortable second after dispatching Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll in the opening laps. Though Sebastian Vettel finished third, he was 36 seconds behind Hamilton and just four seconds ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who had started down in 13h on the grid.
Though Mercedes was expected to hold a power advantage, Ferrari's strong pace at the Belgian Grand Prix had raised hopes of a repeat performance in front of the tifosi.