Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has argued that George Russell’s failure to secure pole position for the Italian Grand Prix was directly caused by an incident involving Max Verstappen in the final moments of qualifying at Monza. According to Wolff, Russell was on a strong trajectory to claim the top spot, but his ultimate flying lap was disrupted when the Red Bull driver slowed unexpectedly in front of both Russell and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, compromising the British driver’s rhythm and ultimately costing him the pole. The strategy employed by Mercedes for the qualifying session involved sending championship leader Antonelli out ahead of Russell to provide a slipstream, a crucial factor at the high‑speed Monza circuit. Antonelli was already serving a grid penalty for exceeding his allocated engine components for the season, meaning he would start from the back regardless of his qualifying time, so using his car to give Russell a tow was seen as a low‑risk way to boost the latter’s lap.
Russell managed to improve his time and briefly set the fastest lap, but the advantage was swiftly taken away by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who delivered one of the most surprising qualifying performances in recent Formula 1 history. Gasly’s unexpected pole meant that the Mercedes duo were forced to settle for lower grid positions. When Sky Sports F1 asked Wolff whether anything specific had gone wrong for Russell, the Mercedes boss replied: “Yes, at the very 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 the pole.” Wolff’s comment highlights how a small miscalculation in the closing corner can have a disproportionate impact on a driver’s overall time, especially on a circuit where aerodynamic efficiency and slipstreaming are paramount. At Monza, the ability to catch a tow from a car ahead can shave off tenths of a second, but it also demands precise timing. Verstappen, having lost contact with the McLarens ahead of him, attempted to create a new tow by braking earlier than usual into the final corner.
This forced Antonelli to pass the Red Bull, while Russell remained directly behind the pair. The sudden change in the lead car’s speed meant Russell was forced to adapt his line and throttle application mid‑lap, disrupting the delicate balance needed for a clean, fast run. Russell later explained his perspective: “We had a bit of a mess with Max entering the lap. He wanted to go for the tow, Kimi was there as well, and I did my lap a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal.” He added that the situation was compounded by Verstappen’s abrupt braking into the Parabolica, noting that the Red Bull driver “didn’t want to be the lead car,” which forced Russell to adjust his approach at the very end of his circuit.
When asked whether Mercedes could have altered its plan to avoid the incident, Russell answered, “I think no, everything looked fine until we got into Parabolica and Max just slammed on the brakes. You can’t control what other drivers do.
Kimi gave me a perfect slipstream on the first run, but Max’s actions made it difficult for Kimi to know what to do as well. In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have tried that approach, but we wanted to give it everything.” Despite the disappointment of missing out on pole, Russell remains optimistic about his chances to close the 59‑point gap to championship leader Antonelli.
He told Sky Sports F1, “I’m feeling good. The key is a clean start and a clean first lap. If I can stay in the top three or four after the opening laps, I still have a solid shot at fighting for the win.
That’s the goal.” Verstappen, for his part, did not comment directly on the incident but admitted that his own qualifying performance had been hampered by technical issues. He explained that a failure in the car caused it to behave like a “kangaroo,” bouncing over low‑speed sections and kerbs, which made it difficult to maintain a consistent pace.
“Something failed again on the car as soon as I went out for qualifying,” Verstappen said. “It’s something we’re aware of and it happens more often this year, but it costs lap time in the low‑speed sections where the car starts jumping around a lot more than it should.” Verstappen added that he was pleased with the progress shown in the final practice session, noting that the car had moved into a more competitive performance window. However, the lack of ride‑control and the excessive bouncing prevented him from delivering a fully consistent lap, which he described as “a bit of a shame” because it limited the team’s ability to optimise performance.
The Dutch driver ultimately qualified sixth, but a grid penalty handed to Oscar Piastri for impeding promoted Verstappen to fifth on the starting grid. Verstappen emphasized the need for the team to address the problematic component quickly, warning that without a fix the car would remain difficult to race competitively. The weekend’s 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 a build‑up to the Grand Prix at 12:30 pm.
The main event, the Italian Grand Prix, is slated for a 2:00 pm start on Sky Sports F1, with live coverage also available via NOW streaming. The day will conclude with a post‑race reaction segment at 4:00 pm and a final “Ted’s Notebook” analysis at 5:00 pm.
The race marks Ferrari’s home event, and all eyes will be on how the teams adapt to the technical challenges and strategic nuances that have already shaped the qualifying session.