Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Mercedes compromised George Russell’s Italian Grand Prix by not double-stacking its drivers under the virtual safety car.
Mercedes secured a 1-2 finish at Monza led by home hero Kimi Antonelli, who recovered from 19th on the grid to become the first Italian winner at the circuit since 1966. But Russell controlled the early phases of the race and was positioned as the primary candidate for victory before a mid-race virtual safety car period altered his race.
The Briton, who was leading at the time, was left out on track while Antonelli pitted. The Italian went on to make his way back through the pack and overtook Russell for the win.
Speaking on F1 TV’s post-race show, Montoya argued Mercedes should have given Russell the priority pitstop.
“He was leading and he should have had the priority on the pitstop. When that virtual safety car came, at that point, it’s quicker to stop than staying out. They should have stopped him, they should have double-stacked him, and he should have stopped ahead of Antonelli,” the Colombian explained.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“And I’m not saying Antonelli wouldn’t still catch him and win the race, but it would have been a really close fight like we saw earlier on. It would have been a really cool race at the end for all of us.”
Team chief Toto Wolff addressed claims the Brackley outfit’s strategy favoured Antonelli. “The two-stop was the best but we didn’t think it was the case, so that was good for him actually,” he told Sky Sports F1 after the race.
“But today there was nothing that would have stopped him [Antonelli]. George fought with worn-out tools at the end, so I’m really happy for the one-two.”
When asked if there were any other options for Russell, Wolff added: “No, George was on the hard and we needed to go on the one-stop so there was no chance.”
