Toto Wolff did not hide his frustration after George Russell lost the pole for the Italian GP of Formula 1 by just 0.060 seconds. The Mercedes boss even hit the table and struck a team computer screen after Pierre Gasly secured the first position.
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The reaction happened immediately after the decisive lap in Q3, which put Gasly on pole and left Russell in second. Mercedes’ social media team captured the moment Wolff vented his irritation on the equipment, before quickly repositioning it.
When asked if the screen had been damaged, Wolff downplayed the episode and explained the reason for his reaction: “It’s all fine. I just cared a lot that George was on pole. He was the fastest car out there and then we were obviously compromised on the last lap, so it was frustrating,” he said.
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The situation mentioned by Wolff involved Max Verstappen during the final part of the qualifying session. The Red Bull Racing driver sought the slipstream of Kimi Antonelli in Q3, instead of Russell, since he could not count on his teammate Liam Lawson after the New Zealander’s elimination in Q2.
Even frustrated with the result, Wolff also acknowledged the achievement of Alpine and Gasly: “I’m happy for Alpine. We had a small part in that and seeing them on pole is something different, and they did a good job,” concluded the Mercedes boss, who is the power unit supplier for Alpine.
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