Montoya: Mercedes should have double-stacked George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at Monza

The race at Monza ended with an emotional Mercedes 1-2, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the first Italian driver to win at the legendary circuit since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 2026. However, the victory celebration was followed by a major tactical controversy. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya accused Mercedes of letting George Russell lose his lead during the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period by bringing only Antonelli into the pit lane without double-stacking both drivers. Russell controlled the early part of the race. The Briton built a comfortable gap with a strong pace, while Antonelli started from 19th place and had to work extremely hard to progress through the field. Russell was in a promising position until the VSC was deployed mid-race. Montoya, who previously drove for Williams and McLaren in Formula 1, believes Mercedes made a tactically unfair decision. “He was leading and he should have had the priority on the pitstop. When that virtual safety car came, at that point, it is 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 said on F1 TV’s post-race show. Montoya also said that he did not underestimate Antonelli’s talent. “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.” Technically, Montoya’s point is solid. Under VSC, drivers must reduce speed, making a pit stop far less costly in terms of time than it would be under full racing conditions. If Mercedes had double-stacked its cars, Russell could have retained the lead or at least left the pits ahead of Antonelli. That was the opportunity the team missed. By calling in only Antonelli, Mercedes left Russell on track with a heavily degraded hard tyre. Antonelli got fresh rubber, gradually closed the gap, and finally overtook Russell for the lead. Russell had no answer in the closing laps. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended the strategy decision. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said that a two-stop strategy was perhaps the best option on paper, but that Mercedes did not evaluate it as such in that moment. “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 whether Russell had any alternative options, Wolff said: “No, George was on the hard and we needed to go on the one-stop so there was no chance.” However, Montoya’s comments suggest that “no chance” was possibly self-created by Mercedes’ decision not to stop Russell under VSC. In Formula 1, a VSC period is one of the rare moments when strategy can be changed with lower risk. Mercedes used that moment to commit to Antonelli while leaving Russell in an exposed position. If Russell had been given priority, or if both cars had been double-stacked, the final result could well have been different. The biggest lesson from Monza is not just about who won, but about how Mercedes managed its two drivers under pressure. Antonelli deserves his first victory, but Russell also deserved a fair chance to fight. When a team builds its narrative on respect among its members, decisions that favour one driver over another can create a deep internal wound. Montoya may be wrong on some details, but his broader point is right: there are moments in F1 when team tactics matter more than individual speed. When a driver has led most of the race, the strategists have a responsibility to protect that advantage. If they do not, victory may go to someone else, and the debate about fairness will always shadow the trophy.