Montoya: Mercedes ruined Russell's Monza race by not double-stacking

The virtual safety car phase at Monza became the biggest tactical flashpoint after Andrea Kimi Antonelli beat George Russell to win the Italian Grand Prix. Mercedes celebrated a 1-2 finish, but former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya strongly criticised the decision not to pit Russell under VSC. Antonelli, starting from 19th, became the first Italian race winner at Monza since 2026. Russell led the early part of the race and looked like the main victory contender before the VSC changed everything. While Antonelli was called into the pits, Russell was left out. Antonelli then used fresher tyres to catch and pass Russell. Montoya said on F1 TV's post-race show: “Russell was leading and he should have had priority on the pitstop. When that virtual safety car came, 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.” He added that Antonelli might still have won, but Mercedes should have allowed a closer fight. Toto Wolff defended the team, saying Russell was on hard tyres and needed to follow a one-stop strategy. Wolff also said nothing could have stopped Antonelli on the day and that Russell was fighting with worn tyres at the end. The debate will continue because the VSC window created a clear opportunity to protect the leading car. By choosing to pit only Antonelli, Mercedes left Russell exposed and forced him to defend with older tyres against a teammate on a faster strategy.