George Russell believes Mercedes made the right call by running two different strategies, even though it meant he fell behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli in a dramatic Italian Grand Prix. The race unfolded with Russell in front of Antonelli, who had surged from a 19th‑grid start to challenge for the win after just 13 laps. Their gap narrowed to a single second when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed with 25 laps remaining. When the VSC came out, Mercedes elected to pit Antonelli for fresh medium‑compound tyres while leaving Russell out on his hard tyres.
That decision created a roughly 15‑second separation between the two drivers once the VSC period ended. From sixth place, Antonelli began a methodical climb, overtaking his rivals one after another and eventually catching Russell with three laps to go. He then passed the Briton to claim victory in front of his home crowd.
The result left Russell 66 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers' Championship with ten races still to run. Reflecting on the tyre split, Russell said, "I was on the hard tyre and Kimi was on the medium tyre when the VSC came, so if either of us were to pit, it was going to be Kimi. I was a little annoyed with the timing of that VSC because, like Max said, it would have been tough for those on the medium to compete with anyone on the hard.
But it takes nothing away from Kimi's drive altogether." If Mercedes had chosen to pit both drivers, Antonelli would likely have been held up in the pit lane for a few seconds, losing track position to Max Verstappen, who also pitted under the VSC. Russell explained his perspective to Sky Sports F1: "The VSC came at an awkward time. I don't think the team knew the right strategy, and with Max in the mix, they decided to split the strategy, which was probably the right thing for the team.
In hindsight it's easy to say I should have pitted, or if I had won they would say Kimi should have stayed out. I would have liked a fight with Kimi – it was a nice battle and I felt I was holding my own.
That was probably another reason the team wanted us on different strategies. I get it." Naomi Schiff of Sky Sports F1 added her take: "I don’t know why he’s not a little bit more frustrated, if I’m totally honest.
If you’ve given it all and think you executed the best strategy, and your teammate beats you outright from P19, maybe there isn’t much to be frustrated about, other than the fact Kimi is going to be incredibly tough to beat this season." Team principal Toto Wolff later revealed that Mercedes' simulation tools indicated, at the moment the VSC was called, Russell's plan would be faster than Antonelli's, with the Italian expected to "come close but wouldn't catch". The team had been counting on the hard tyre being a "forever tyre" capable of lasting the entire race, whereas the medium compound offered higher outright pace but required a later stop. Wolff highlighted the importance of traffic management, noting that Antonelli's ability to navigate through slower cars was a decisive factor: "The differentiator today was the ability to go through the traffic, something we've seen with other great drivers in the past. Lewis put it in some races and that's what he's shown today.
There's just no stopping when a driver and a car are one; then nothing can stop them." Heading into the weekend, Antonelli was expected to lose ground to his closest championship rivals – Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. Instead, his win extended his lead, while Russell now faces the prospect of starting from the back in an upcoming race because he lacks sufficient engine allocations to avoid a grid penalty. Despite the setback, Russell says he is not dwelling on the title fight. He is instead focusing on the positive signs shown at Monza and the upcoming Zandvoort race, where his car has been more competitive than earlier in the season.
"We are where we are. Kimi's been driving incredibly this season and deserves to be leading the championship and he's got a healthy lead," Russell said.
"I'm not going to think about the fight or the comeback. I'm just thinking about going to every race and trying to win it.
It will be what it will be. I'm not putting any pressure on myself saying 'I need to do this or that'. I just need to win more races and, of course, he's in this spot." Looking ahead, Formula 1 moves to the new Madring circuit in Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix. All sessions will be broadcast live from Friday on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream via NOW with a flexible, cancel‑anytime subscription.
The upcoming race will offer both teams and drivers another chance to test strategies, tyre choices, and driver skill in a brand‑new environment, potentially reshaping the championship battle as the season progresses toward its climax.