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Toto Wolff Blames Max Verstappen After Mercedes Miss Italian GP Pole: ‘We….

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has pointed the finger at Max Verstappen after George Russell narrowly missed out on pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

 

Russell had looked well placed to challenge for the top spot, with Mercedes expecting its carefully planned slipstream strategy to give the Briton a major advantage on Monza’s long straights. However, the plan was disrupted during the crucial final runs of Q3.

 

Russell ultimately had to settle for second on the grid, while Pierre Gasly produced a stunning surprise to claim pole position for Alpine.

 

According to Wolff, Verstappen’s presence at the wrong moment played a significant role in preventing Mercedes from completing its qualifying plan.

 

“At the end, we got done over by Max in the final round when preparing,” Wolff said after qualifying. “When launching the lap, it was just much too close, and that compromised the lap time eventually, and that lost pole position.”

 

The result was a major disappointment for Mercedes, particularly given the team’s strong pace throughout the weekend and its expectation that Russell could fight for victory from pole.

 

Gasly delivers Monza shock

 

While Mercedes was left frustrated, Gasly delivered one of the biggest qualifying surprises of the season.

 

The Alpine driver secured the first pole position of his career and gave the team its first Formula 1 pole since 2009, when the team was competing as Renault.

 

Gasly’s performance denied Mercedes what appeared to be a strong opportunity to lock out the front of the grid and potentially control Sunday’s race from the start.

 

Russell, however, remains in an excellent position for the Grand Prix. Starting from second at Monza gives him a clear opportunity to attack Gasly into the opening corners and put Mercedes in contention for another victory.

 

Antonelli faces huge challenge

 

Mercedes’ other driver, Kimi Antonelli, qualified seventh but will start much further down the order because of a grid penalty connected to a planned engine change.

 

Wolff admitted that Antonelli’s chances of fighting for a podium from the back of the grid are limited, particularly because the field is extremely competitive.

 

“I think it’s too much to ask,” Wolff said, warning that overtaking could become difficult once Antonelli reaches the tightly packed midfield.

 

That leaves Russell as Mercedes’ main hope of converting its strong Monza pace into victory.

 

But with Gasly unexpectedly starting from pole and Verstappen among the leading challengers, Mercedes faces a far more complicated race than it expected.

 

For Wolff, the frustration is clear: Mercedes believed pole was within reach — only for a disrupted final run to leave Russell starting second.

 

Now the pressure shifts to Sunday, where Russell will have the chance to settle the score on track.