Mercedes had no alternative but to change George Russell’s strategy during the Formula 1 Italian GP this Sunday (6). According to Toto Wolff, the team needed to keep the Briton on the track with hard tires, even with Kimi Antonelli approaching and taking the lead in the final laps.
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Antonelli had started 19th after a penalty for an engine change but made a recovery race and achieved his seventh win of the season. The Italian gained ground precisely when he put on new medium tires during a virtual safety car near the end. Russell, on the other hand, stayed on the track with hard tires until the checkered flag.
Wolff explained that Mercedes bet on a one-stop strategy because they did not expect the two-stop plan to be more efficient: “We needed to do the one-stop strategy; there was no chance,” said the team principal. The choice ended up favoring Antonelli, who managed to overtake his teammate in the final moments.
For Wolff, the Italian had a safe performance from the start and knew how to take advantage of opportunities throughout the race: “[Antonelli] kept his head in place, did not take risks at the start with the restarts, and then overtook one by one. An incredible race,” he said.
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The Mercedes boss acknowledged that the two-stop strategy ended up being the best, although that was not the team’s assessment during the race. “Yes, in the end, the two-stop strategy was the best. But we didn’t think that was the case. So, that was good for him. But today there was nothing that could stop him. I’m very happy. And, obviously, George fought with worn equipment at the end. So, I’m very happy with first and second places. No, he was on the hards.”
The result increased Antonelli’s lead over his teammate in the championship to 66 points and 76 over Lewis Hamilton, who is third with Ferrari. The next stage will be the Spanish GP in Madrid.
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