Mercedes saw George Russell and Kimi Antonelli qualify fifth and sixth for the Italian Grand Prix but the Brit was hampered by a tyre choice mistake during the session
George Russell refused to slam his Mercedes team despite the mistake which cost him a shot at pole for the Italian Grand Prix. The Brit ended qualifying at Monza sixth fastest, and will start Sunday’s race fifth because of a five-place grid drop for Lewis Hamilton.
But it could have been a better day for Russell, had he and his team not suffered a crucial miscommunication. Having been fast on medium tyres early in qualifying, he wanted to use the yellow-walled rubber again for his final run as the top 10 drivers went for pole.
But he never got the chance. After visiting the pit lane to be fitted with new tyres for the final part of qualifying, Russell noticed on his way back out onto the track that he had instead been given the red soft compound.
“I thought I said I wanted the mediums?” he asked on the radio, frustrated with the unpleasant surprise. Speaking after the session, though, Russell admitted that he had not been clear enough and chalked the whole matter up to a misunderstanding.
He said: “I was quickest in Q1 with the medium. We were one of the only teams with two mediums. It was just a miscommunication with me and the team. They are not really to blame, probably I am as much to blame [because] I did not make it clearer.
“I just thought, with the lap time I showed, I just presumed. I said after Q1, ‘The medium feels great, we should consider it for Q3’. Then I said in the middle of Q2 after my first lap, ‘I would like to run the medium in Q3’.
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“Then I said in the garage, ‘Are we sticking to the plan?’ And they said, ‘Yes’. I thought the plan was medium, but the plan was soft. That is why it was a surprise. As I said, I am as much to blame. We should have discussed it more.”
It was still a decent result overall for Mercedes who have both their drivers on the third row of the grid. Russell starts one place above team-mate Kimi Antonelli who has struggled for form in recent months but produced one of his better qualifying displays in his homeland.
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And the Italian said: “That is a much better result than we have managed to achieve in qualifying recently. I had to rebuild my speed having lost track time in FP2, so to be starting near the front again is a good result. We can therefore be pleased with how today went, even if we know that there was likely more performance there.
“My last lap was not my best so I think we could have been starting higher up but I am still happy with how our session unfolded. The field is very tight, and we have a slight top line speed disadvantage to Ferrari this weekend due to set-up choices. We know overtaking is already difficult here so it may be a challenge to make much progress from P6.”