Martin Brundle, former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst, insists George Russell must get answers from Mercedes after a virtual safety car strategy potentially cost him victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
Russell looked set to reduce the gap to his championship rival and team-mate Kimi Antonelli at Monza. While Russell stayed out on hard tyres during a virtual safety car period, Antonelli was brought in for fresh mediums. The 20-year-old used the tyre advantage to make his way back up the grid and claim the win at his home race.
"It's been a very difficult day for George Russell," Brundle explained. "He will have to surely sit down and talk to the team, and ask, 'How did that happen? I was leading the race. Why was I not given the preferential cheap pit stop there?'"
Antonelli took a power unit penalty at the Italian Grand Prix, putting him at the back of the starting grid and giving Russell a huge opportunity to close the gap in the standings. "For the world championship, this was George's opportunity to do something about the deficit, and the deficit has grown," Brundle added.
Former W Series driver and Sky Sports pundit Naomi Schiff echoed Brundle's comments. "I think maybe the reason we've seen him be so calm about it right now is because he's probably questioning himself a little bit as well, and why he wasn't able to get more of an advantage. But I think with hindsight, he will be asking questions, like, 'Why did I not get to pit during the VSC?' Yes, he was on a different strategy and they wanted him to go long, but at the end of the day, a fresher set of tyres could have saved him the victory today."
Antonelli, who claimed his seventh F1 win at Monza, now leads the standings with a 66-point advantage over Russell in second.
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