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 clear trajectory to claim the top spot, but his ultimate flying lap was disrupted when Verstappen slowed unexpectedly in front of both the British driver and his teammate Kimi Antonelli. The strategy employed by Mercedes placed Antonelli, who is currently serving a grid‑penalty for exceeding his allocated engine components, ahead of Russell on the track.
The intention was to provide the Brit with a slipstream – a crucial aerodynamic boost at the high‑speed Monza circuit – even though Antonelli would ultimately start from the back of the grid regardless of his qualifying performance. While Russell managed to improve his time and briefly set the fastest lap, his pole was snatched away in dramatic fashion by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, delivering one of the most surprising qualifying outcomes in recent Formula 1 history. When Sky Sports F1 asked Wolff whether anything had gone wrong for Russell, the Mercedes boss replied: “Yes, at the very end he got done over by Max on the final run when launching the lap. It was just too close, and that compromised the lap time and ultimately cost us pole.” At Monza, the slipstream effect is vital; drivers often line up behind a faster car to reduce drag and gain extra speed on the long straights.
Verstappen, after losing contact with the McLarens ahead of him, attempted to create a tow for himself by braking earlier than expected into the final corner. As he decelerated, Antonelli managed to overtake the Red Bull, while Russell was left trailing just behind the two cars.
Although a tow can be beneficial, being too close to the leading car for the entire lap can disrupt a driver’s rhythm and reduce overall 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 did my lap a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal.” When asked if Mercedes could have handled the situation differently, Russell answered, “I think not.
Everything looked fine until we hit Parabolica, where Max slammed on the brakes and didn’t want to be the lead car. You can’t control what other drivers do. Kimi gave me a perfect slipstream on the first run, but Max’s actions also confused him. In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have tried that approach, but we wanted to give it everything.” Despite the disappointment, Russell remains confident about his race prospects and his ability 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’m in the top three or four after the opening laps, I’m still in a strong position to fight for the win. That’s the goal.” Verstappen, who qualified sixth before receiving a promotion to fifth due to Oscar Piastri’s grid penalty for impeding, did not comment directly on the Monza incident.
However, he did discuss his own qualifying difficulties, explaining that a mechanical issue caused the car to behave erratically, “jumping like a kangaroo” over bumps and kerbs. He said, “Something failed again on the car as soon as I went out for qualifying.
It’s an issue we’re aware of, and it appears more often this year. It costs lap time in low‑speed sections because the car starts bouncing more than it should. Without ride‑control, consistency is impossible, and it’s a shame we can’t optimise performance.” Verstappen added that his car performed better in the final practice session, noting a “big step forward” from the previous day, but the lack of ride‑control still hampered his ability to extract maximum speed.
He concluded, “We need to be able to change whatever part is causing the problem, otherwise it will be tough to race like this.” The broader race weekend schedule includes 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 Grand Prix build‑up and the Italian Grand Prix itself at 2 pm, with post‑race analysis later in the afternoon. The event will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and streamed via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
In summary, Wolff’s assessment places the blame for Russell’s missed pole squarely on Verstappen’s late‑stage braking, which disrupted the crucial slipstream that Mercedes had meticulously planned. While the British driver acknowledges the mishap, he also emphasizes that such incidents are part of racing’s unpredictable nature. Both drivers now turn their focus to the race itself, hoping to turn qualifying setbacks into podium finishes.