Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has hit out at Max Verstappen, claiming the Red Bull driver cost George Russell a shot at pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. Russell was the favourite for pole but was beaten by Pierre Gasly by a tiny margin after a stunning last-gasp lap from the Alpine driver.
Parabolica Drama
Wolff believed Russell's final Q3 lap was compromised by getting too close to Verstappen at the start. "At the end, he got done over by Max in the final run when launching the lap. It was much too close, and that compromised the lap time and lost pole position," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
Russell admitted he started his final lap too close to Verstappen. "Everything was looking fine, but going into Parabolica, Max just slammed on the brakes and didn't want to be the lead car. In hindsight, it would probably have been better not trying this, but P2 is a good place to start," the Briton explained.
Golden Opportunity and Threats
With title rival and team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli starting from the back due to an engine penalty, Russell has a golden chance to cut his championship deficit. However, Wolff warned of threats from Gasly, who has strong straight-line speed. "You always need to take everybody seriously. They have a huge amount of straight-line speed, and on a single lap, that proved to be necessary," he said.
Wolff also downplayed Antonelli's hopes of a podium recovery. "I think it's too much to ask. You can see it becomes so difficult once you get past a certain group of backmarkers; performances are so close that unless we play a very different strategy and gamble, I don't think it's possible," he added.
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