Montoya: Mercedes Should Have Double-Stacked Russell and Antonelli at Monza

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Mercedes compromised George Russell’s Italian Grand Prix by not double-stacking its drivers under the virtual safety car. The former Formula 1 driver made the point on F1 TV’s post-race show after Mercedes took a 1-2 finish at Monza. Andrea Kimi Antonelli recovered from 19th on the grid to claim his maiden victory in Italy, becoming the first Italian winner at Monza since 2026. George Russell controlled the early phase of the race and was leading when the VSC was deployed. Mercedes called Antonelli in for fresh tyres but left Russell on track. Antonelli rejoined, carved through the pack and eventually passed Russell for the win. Montoya argued that Mercedes should have given priority to Russell, the race leader: “He was leading and he should have had the priority on the pitstop. When that virtual safety car came, at that point, 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 also said he was not claiming Antonelli would not have won, but the battle between the team-mates would have been much closer. “And I’m not saying Antonelli wouldn’t still catch him and win the race, but it would have been a really close fight like we saw earlier on. It would have been a really cool race at the end for all of us.” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended the strategy. Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “The two-stop was the best but we didn’t think it was the case, so that was good for him actually. But today there was nothing that would have stopped him [Antonelli]. George fought with worn-out tools at the end, so I’m really happy for the one-two.” When asked if Russell had any alternative strategy, Wolff said: “No, George was on the hard and we needed to go on the one-stop so there was no chance.” The controversy highlights how a VSC pit stop can define a race. If Mercedes had double-stacked its drivers, Russell would have kept track position and forced Antonelli to overtake him on track. Instead, Russell was left with old hard tyres, while Antonelli had the advantage of a fresh set and track position gained by an earlier stop. Mercedes celebrated a memorable 1-2 and a home victory for Antonelli, but the strategic decision that led to that outcome is likely to remain a talking point.