Mercedes endured a tricky qualifying session at Monza, with both drivers ending up on the third row of the grid — far from the front-row challenge they had hoped for. George Russell will start fifth, while Kimi Antonelli, in front of his passionate home crowd, lines up sixth after a promising performance.
Russell Left Frustrated Despite Strong Early Pace
Russell showed flashes of strong pace early on, even topping Q1 on medium tyres while most of the grid opted for softs. That performance raised expectations for a potential top-three finish. However, as the session progressed, Mercedes seemed to lose momentum. In Q3, Russell’s best lap on softs wasn’t an improvement, leaving him just over three-tenths of a second off Max Verstappen’s pole time.
He will start P5, benefiting from Lewis Hamilton’s five-place grid penalty, but the Brit admitted that the team “definitely underperformed” when it mattered most. Reflecting on qualifying, Russell said the car felt competitive at first, but balance and grip slipped away in the final segment. “We looked strong early on, Q2 wasn’t bad either, but the drop-off in Q3 was disappointing,” he admitted.
Still, Russell remains optimistic that Mercedes can turn things around in Sunday’s race. “We’ll analyze what went wrong tonight and make sure we fight back,” he added.
Antonelli Impresses the Home Crowd
On the other side of the garage, Kimi Antonelli put on an impressive show at his home Grand Prix. The young Italian driver secured P7 in qualifying, just a tenth behind Russell, and will move up to P6 after Hamilton’s penalty.
Antonelli revealed that a last-minute car adjustment before his final run affected rear grip, costing him valuable time in the opening sector. “It wasn’t the perfect lap,” he said, “but overall, I’m happy. P6 is a strong place to start, and we’ll aim for more in the race.”
With both Mercedes drivers starting inside the top six, the Silver Arrows still have a chance to fight for a strong double-points finish — if they can unlock the pace they showed earlier in the session.
Mercedes Monza qualifying
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