Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff says there was “no chance” to alter George Russell’s tyre strategy at the Italian Grand Prix, after he lost the race to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Monza moment turned into a bitter pill for Russell, who had to surrender the top step of the podium to his own teammate.
Mercedes still left Monza with a sweet 1-2 finish. Andrea Kimi Antonelli delivered a stunning drive from 19th on the grid after an engine penalty to score his seventh win of the season. He overhauled long-time leader Russell in the closing stages, having pitted for fresh medium tyres under a late virtual safety car.
The key to Antonelli's success was a second pit stop for new mediums when the virtual safety car appeared late in the race. Meanwhile, Russell, who had restarted on hard tyres, had to go to the finish without another stop. Wolff admitted the team had no choice but to run a one-stop strategy for Russell.
“We needed to go on the one-stop; there was no chance,” Wolff told Sky Sports. He also praised Antonelli's performance, saying, “He kept his head down, took no risks at the beginning with the restarts, and then one by one. An amazing drive.”
Wolff also admitted the team didn't expect the two-stop strategy to be the strongest. “Yeah, it was, after all, the two-stop was the best. But we didn't think it was the case. So, that was good for him. But today there was nothing that could have stopped him,” he added. Russell took the defeat gracefully in parc ferme, though it came two weeks after being told to move aside for Antonelli at Zandvoort.
The loss leaves Russell 66 points adrift of Antonelli in the standings. Antonelli's championship position has also been strengthened by a difficult weekend for Ferrari on home soil. Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap two, while Lewis Hamilton struggled to sixth. Now 66 points clear of Russell and 76 ahead of third-placed Hamilton, Antonelli heads into next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid with confidence high.
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