George Russell believes that Mercedes made the right call by running different strategies for him and his teammate, even though the decision ultimately saw him lose out to Kimi Antonelli in a dramatic Italian Grand Prix. At the start of the race, Russell was ahead of Antonelli, who had started from the back of the grid in 19th place but quickly surged forward. By the time a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed with 25 laps remaining, Antonelli had closed the gap to just one second behind Russell.
When the VSC was activated, Mercedes chose to pit Antonelli for a fresh set of medium‑compound tyres, while leaving Russell out on his older hard tyres. The pit stop created a gap of roughly fifteen seconds between the two drivers when the VSC period ended. From sixth place on the restart, Antonelli began a methodical climb, overtaking rivals one after another and eventually catching Russell with three laps to go. He then passed Russell to claim his first home win at Monza.
The result left Russell 66 points behind Antonelli in the drivers' championship with ten races still to run. Reflecting on the tyre choices, Russell explained, "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." He added that the timing of the VSC annoyed him, noting that Max Verstappen had also pitted during the same period, which made it harder for the medium‑tyred cars to compete against the hard‑tyred ones. Nevertheless, Russell praised Antonelli’s performance, saying it did not diminish the Italian’s achievement.
Had Mercedes elected to pit both drivers, Antonelli would likely have been delayed in the pit lane for a few seconds, potentially losing track position to Max Verstappen, who also pitted under the VSC. Russell told Sky Sports F1 that the VSC arrived at an “awkward time” and that the team was unsure which strategy would be optimal. "We split the strategy, which was probably the right thing for the team," he said, acknowledging that hindsight makes it easy to critique the decision. Russell also expressed a desire to have fought Antonelli directly.
"It was a nice battle and I felt I was holding my own at that point," he explained, suggesting that the team’s strategic split was intended to give him a chance to contest the lead. Naomi Schiff of Sky Sports F1 noted that Russell’s reaction seemed surprisingly calm. "I don’t know why he’s not a little more frustrated," she said, adding that after giving everything and seeing his teammate win after starting from P19, there might be little reason for anger beyond the fact that Antonelli will be a tough opponent for the rest of the season. Team principal Toto Wolff later revealed that Mercedes’ simulation tools indicated Russell’s hard‑tyre plan would be marginally quicker than Antonelli’s medium‑tyre plan at the moment the VSC was triggered.
The software projected that Antonelli would “come close but wouldn’t catch” Russell. Wolff also highlighted the importance of tyre durability, describing the hard compound as a “forever tyre” that could theoretically last the entire race, whereas the medium compound offered higher performance but required a stop. Wolff praised Antonelli’s ability to navigate traffic, drawing parallels to past performances by Lewis Hamilton. "The differentiator today was the ability to go through the traffic," he said, emphasizing that when a driver and a car are in perfect harmony, they become almost unstoppable.
Going into the weekend, many had expected Antonelli to lose ground to his closest championship rivals—Russell, Hamilton and Lando Norris. Instead, he extended his lead, while Russell now faces a separate challenge: a lack of available power units that could force him to start from the back of the grid in an upcoming race and incur a grid‑penalty.
Despite the setback, Russell insists he is not dwelling on the title fight. He is focusing on the positives of recent performances at Monza and Zandvoort, noting that his team has been more competitive than in the early part of the season. "We are where we are. Kimi’s been driving incredibly this season and deserves to be leading the championship," 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.
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, the Formula 1 calendar moves to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the brand‑new Madring circuit. All sessions will be broadcast live from Friday on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW, with a flexible, cancel‑anytime subscription. The upcoming race will provide another opportunity for Russell and his teammates to test their strategies and see whether the split‑strategy approach can deliver the desired results in the battles to come.