Lance and Sebastian were both fighting over the points-paying positions early on at Monza, but technical problems brought both of their races to an early conclusion. Lance retired late on, while an ERS issue ended Sebastian's race on lap 11.
I was hopeful for a decent race, but we struggled for pace and then had to retire the car.
"Unfortunately, we had an issue with the ERS and we had to stop the car. I noticed a drop in power beforehand, and then I was told to pull off the circuit.
"Overall, this was just a tough weekend for us. I was hopeful for a decent race, but we struggled for pace and then had the problem that forced our retirement.
"The atmosphere was fantastic, however, so a huge thank you to the fans for their support this weekend."
It is a shame we were not able to be more in the mix this weekend, but that is sometimes how it is in F1.
"We had some issues with the car, so we decided to retire to look after the engine.
"It is a shame that we were not able to be more in the mix this weekend, but that is sometimes how it is in F1.
"We have to look at why it was so tricky for us on this track, and see what we can learn from that.
"I think we will be more competitive in Singapore, which is a completely different circuit to here, in a couple of weekends."
The focus now moves to Singapore – a circuit where we expect a more completive showing.
"Lance battled hard in the early laps, running as high as tenth, but we did not quite have the pace on this track layout and, as the race progressed, it became clear that points were out of reach.
"With 14 laps to go, we retired Lance's car as a precaution to save engine mileage.
"Sebastian's race was relatively short when he was forced to retire on lap 11 with a suspected ERS issue. He was losing power before smoke appeared and we asked him to stop the car.
"The focus now moves to Singapore at the end of this month – a circuit where we expect a more completive showing."
Despite the long straights, Monza is a fairly difficult circuit for passing. Due to cars running low-drag wings, DRS is less effective here – only 54% of overtakes are completed with it. The opening chicane is the preferred place to make a move – nearly two-thirds of overtakes are made there.
Monza tends to throw Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars into the mix, assisted by a higher-than-average retirement rate. If the timing of a disruption works in a driver's favour, it can benefit them massively. The opening lap is particularly perilous due to the tight nature of some corners.
Traditionally, this has been a one-stop race. The pit loss time is quite high due to the long main straight, tyre wear is not particularly high, and the overtaking difficulty makes it very tricky to charge through the order. Pirelli is bringing its C2, C3 and C4 compounds for the seventh time this season.
A lap opens with a long run down to the first corners – a very tight right-left chicane that is one of the slowest sections on the whole calendar.
With low-downforce packages on the cars, it can be easy to misjudge the braking point. The exit is also key, with a long flat-out blast through the Curve Grande following.
The Variante Ascari is the third, and perhaps the most challenging, of the track's chicanes. Deceptively quick, carrying too much speed or hitting the kerbs can really upset the stability of the car, sending it into a spin.
Again, the exit is crucial here with another long straight following this corner.
Parabolica – now renamed Curva Alboreto after the late Italian racer – concludes the lap. It is a long right-hander that opens up on exit.
The apex can be difficult to perfect, particularly while following another car, and it is also easy to exceed track limits. It's a key corner.
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