Nico Rosberg will line up fourth on tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix grid, behind Lewis Hamilton and the two fast-starting Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
The German driver's chances of challenging his Mercedes team mate for pole position were reduced from the outset when his new upgraded power unit showed signs of weakness in this morning's free practice.
As a measure of precaution, Mercedes reverted back to Rosberg's older-specification Spa engine for qualifying.
"We had to go back to an engine that's done six races, and with every kilometer you lose a little bit of power, Rosberg said.
"At Monza, which is the absolute power track, you need a good engine. So it's very disappointing to have this happen here as it's a really big compromise. It makes the race tomorrow tough as I'll be a bit slower than I should. It's not ideal and it will be difficult against the Ferraris."
Rosberg also complained of handling issues which affected his performance in Q3, believing therefore that Ferrari's good performance was the result of his own Mercedes' relative weakness rather than the Italian squad's form at its home race.
Hamilton holds off Ferrari challenge for 11th pole of the season
2016 F1 driver line-ups so far
F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is confident that Red Bull Powertrains can compete with…
Alex Albon has defended his interim Williams teammate Franco Colapinto, arguing that the rookie’s costly…
Today, we at F1i.com raise a celebratory glass to our esteemed founder, Bertrand Gachot, who…
McLaren roared back to the pinnacle of Formula 1 in 2024, clinching their first Constructors'…
Liam Lawson has revealed that he became the target of online abuse by fans of…
As Carlos Sainz prepares for a new chapter in his Formula 1 career with Williams,…