Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has argued that George Russell’s failure to secure pole position for the Italian Grand Prix was largely due to an incident involving Max Verstappen in the final moments of qualifying at Monza. According to Wolff, the Dutch driver’s actions effectively "did him over" and compromised Russell’s last flying lap, costing the Brit a front‑row start.
Russell had looked set to fulfil his status as the pre‑qualifying favourite. He set a series of increasingly quick laps, and his final attempt seemed poised to clinch the top spot.
However, the situation changed when Verstappen, who was running ahead of both Russell and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, slowed dramatically just before the end of the lap. The sudden deceleration forced Russell to adjust his line and lose the clean slipstream that he had been counting on. Mercedes had deliberately placed Antonelli, the championship leader, ahead of Russell on the track to give the younger driver a tow.
Antonelli was serving a grid penalty for exceeding his allocated engine components and was destined to start from the back regardless of his qualifying time, so the team used his position to aid Russell’s lap. When Verstappen slowed, Antonelli managed to pass the Red Bull, but Russell was left trailing both cars, unable to benefit fully from the aerodynamic advantage. Even though Russell managed to improve his time enough to post the fastest sector, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly produced a stunning upset by posting a lap that edged out Russell’s, delivering one of the most surprising qualifying results in recent F1 history.
Gasly’s pole was a shock to many, but Wolff insisted that the decisive factor for Russell was the interference from Verstappen. When asked by Sky Sports F1 whether anything had gone wrong for Russell, Wolff replied: "Yes, at the very end Max slowed down in front of him on the final run. It was extremely close and that disruption ultimately ruined the lap time and cost him pole." At Monza, a well‑timed tow can make the difference between a good lap and a pole‑winning one. Verstappen, having lost contact with the McLarens ahead of him, attempted to create a new lead car for the slipstream.
As he braked before the final corner, Antonelli overtook him, while Russell stayed directly behind. The proximity to the car ahead, while generally beneficial, can also become a hindrance if the lead driver brakes unexpectedly, which is exactly what happened. Russell described the episode: "We had a bit of a mess when Max entered the lap.
He wanted the tow, Kimi was there as well, and I ended up doing my lap about a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal." When probed about whether Mercedes could have avoided the scenario, Russell answered: "I think everything was fine until we got into Parabolica. Max just slammed on the brakes and didn’t want to be the lead car. You can’t control other drivers. Kimi gave me a perfect slipstream on the first run, but Max’s sudden braking made it difficult for Kimi to know what to do too.
In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have tried that, but we gave it everything we had." Despite the disappointment, Russell remains confident about his race prospects and his ability to close the 59‑point gap to Antonelli in the drivers’ standings. He told Sky Sports F1: "I feel good. The key is a clean start and a clean first lap.
If I’m in the top three or four after the opening laps, I still have a realistic shot at the win. That’s the aim." Verstappen, for his part, did not comment directly on the Monza incident, but he did reveal that his own qualifying performance had been hampered by a mechanical issue that made the car bounce like a kangaroo over the bumps and kerbs.
"Something failed again on the car as soon as I went out for qualifying," he explained. "It’s something we’re aware of and it’s happening more often this year.
The lack of ride‑control makes the car jump a lot, especially on low‑speed sections, which costs lap time." He added that the car had shown improvement in the final practice session, describing it as being in a "much better window". However, the persistent bouncing meant he could not extract consistent performance. "When the car is jumping around like a kangaroo you can’t be consistent.
It’s a shame not to optimise our performance," Verstappen said. The Dutchman qualified sixth but will start fifth after Oscar Piastri received a grid penalty for impeding. Verstappen noted that the team needs to resolve the problematic part quickly, otherwise racing will remain difficult.
The weekend schedule includes a series of support races: the F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, the F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, the Porsche Supercup at 10:40 am, followed by the build‑up to the Grand Prix. The Italian Grand Prix itself is slated for a 2 pm start on Sky Sports F1, with live coverage also available via NOW streaming. The event promises a dramatic showdown at Ferrari’s home circuit, with the added intrigue of Russell’s pole‑snatching disappointment and the ongoing technical challenges faced by both Mercedes and Red Bull.