Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has argued that George Russell was denied the top spot on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix because Max Verstappen “got done over” him in the final moments of qualifying at Monza. Russell looked set to fulfill the expectations of a pole favourite, but his last flying lap was disrupted when the Red Bull driver decelerated in front of both him and his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who was on a separate run. The Mercedes squad had deliberately placed championship leader Antonelli ahead of Russell on the track to provide a slipstream – a common tactic at the high‑speed Monza circuit – because the British driver was serving a penalty for exceeding his allocated engine components and would start from the back regardless of his qualifying time. Despite the strategic tow, Russell managed to improve his lap and briefly topped the timing sheets, only to see his advantage snatched away by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, whose unexpected performance produced one of the biggest qualifying surprises in recent Formula 1 history.
When Sky Sports F1 asked Wolff whether anything had gone wrong for Russell, the team boss replied: “Yes, at the end he got done over by Max in the final run when launching the lap. It was just too close and that compromised the lap time, ultimately costing us pole.” At Monza, a clean slipstream can be decisive, and Verstappen appeared to try to force another car ahead after losing contact with the McLarens that were in front of him. As he braked early into the final corner, Antonelli overtook the Red Bull, while Russell was left trailing just behind.
While a tow can boost straight‑line speed, staying too close to the leading car for an entire lap can also hinder performance, a situation Russell felt he experienced. Russell described the incident: “We had a bit of a mess with Max entering the lap. He wanted the tow, Kimi was there as well, and I ran a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal.” When asked if Mercedes could have avoided the scenario, he answered, “I think not – everything looked fine until we hit Parabolica. Max suddenly 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 actions also confused him.
In hindsight it might have been better not to attempt that, but we gave it everything we had.” Despite the disappointment, Russell remains optimistic about his championship chase, still within striking distance of the 59‑point gap to Antonelli. 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 solid shot at the win – that’s the goal.” Verstappen did not comment directly on the Parabolica incident, but he did explain that his own qualifying performance was hampered by a mechanical issue that made the car behave like a “kangaroo” on the bumps. “As soon as I went out for qualifying, something failed again on the car,” he said. “It’s an issue we’re aware of and it’s happening more often this year, costing us lap time in the low‑speed sections where the car starts jumping around a lot more than it should on the kerbs.
I was very happy with the car in FP3 because we made a big step forward, but without ride‑control the car’s bouncing makes consistency impossible. It’s a shame we can’t optimise our performance.” The Dutchman qualified sixth but will start fifth after Oscar Piastri received a grid penalty for impeding. He added, “We need to be able to change whatever part is causing the problem, otherwise it will be tough to race like that.” The weekend schedule includes a full programme 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 at 12:30 pm. The Italian Grand Prix itself kicks off at 2:00 pm, with post‑race analysis and reactions slated for the afternoon.
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