Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has laid the blame for George Russell’s failure to secure pole position at the Italian Grand Prix squarely on Max Verstappen. According to Wolff, the Dutch driver’s actions in the final moments of qualifying at Monza disrupted Russell’s last flying lap and cost the Briton the top spot on the grid.
Russell entered the final qualifying session as the clear favourite for pole. He had set a series of quick times and seemed poised to translate his reputation as a pole‑seeker into a front‑row start. However, the situation changed dramatically when Verstappen, who was also on a final run, slowed unexpectedly just before the last corner.
The Red Bull driver’s deceleration forced the Mercedes pair – Kimi Antonelli and Russell – into a precarious position. Mercedes had deliberately placed Antonelli, who is serving a grid penalty for exceeding his engine‑part allocation, ahead of Russell to provide a slipstream.
The plan was to give the British driver a tow on his final lap, a tactic that is especially effective on Monza’s long straights. When Verstappen reduced his speed, Antonelli was able to pass the Red Bull, but Russell was left trailing both cars at a distance that proved sub‑optimal for a clean tow. The disruption was enough to allow Alpine’s Pierre Gasly to snatch pole with a lap that shocked the paddock.
Gasly’s performance was one of the most unexpected qualifying results in recent Formula 1 history, and it relegated Russell to second place despite his improved time. When Sky Sports F1 asked Wolff whether anything could have been done differently, the Mercedes boss replied: “Yes, at the very end Max ‘did him over’ on the final run. It was extremely close and that compromised the lap time, ultimately costing us pole.” He highlighted how critical a well‑timed tow is at Monza, where aerodynamic efficiency on the straights can make the difference between a pole lap and a runner‑up.
Russell himself described the incident as a “mess” caused by Verstappen’s unexpected braking. “He wanted the tow, Kimi was there as well, and I ended up doing my lap about a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal,” he explained. He added that Verstappen’s sudden brake application into the Parabolica corner forced the Red Bull driver to abandon the lead line, leaving Russell without the clean slipstream he needed. The British driver also noted that the situation created confusion for Antonelli, who had been perfectly positioned for the first run but was forced to adapt to Verstappen’s erratic line.
“It was just a little bit unfortunate. In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have tried that particular strategy, but we wanted to give it everything,” Russell said.
Despite the disappointment, Russell remains confident about his race prospects. He is still within striking distance of the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, with a 59‑point gap that can be narrowed if the race unfolds favourably. "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’m still in a strong position to fight for the win," he told Sky Sports F1. Verstappen, for his part, did not comment directly on the incident but admitted that his own car was suffering from a mechanical issue that caused it to bounce like a kangaroo over the bumps and kerbs at Monza. "Something failed again on the car as soon as I went out for qualifying," he said.
"It’s something we’re aware of and it’s happening more often this year. The lack of ride‑control makes the car jump on the low‑speed sections, costing lap time and consistency." The Dutch driver qualified sixth, but a grid penalty handed to Oscar Piastri for impeding will promote Verstappen to fifth on the starting grid.
He acknowledged that without a stable platform, extracting maximum performance will be challenging: "We need to be able to change whatever the part is, otherwise it will be quite tough to race like that." The broader race weekend schedule includes a full day of support categories, starting with the F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, followed by the F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, the Porsche Supercup at 10:40 am, and the main Grand Prix action beginning at 2:00 pm. The Italian Grand Prix is Ferrari’s home event, and the race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, Wolff’s assessment places the blame for the lost pole on Verstappen’s late‑stage braking, which disrupted the carefully planned tow for Russell.
While the British driver’s qualifying performance was strong, the unexpected interference allowed Gasly to claim an unlikely pole. Russell’s outlook remains positive, focusing on a clean start and a strategic race to close the points gap to Antonelli, while Verstappen must contend with a car that is currently lacking the stability needed for consistent lap times. The stage is set for an exciting Italian Grand Prix, with the championship battle intensifying as the season approaches its climax.