Mercedes AMG F1 driver George Russell has been left surprised after Max Verstappen dominated the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Russell pointed out McLaren’s dominance in Hungary, which was a contrast to the race that unfolded in Italy, revealing that it is difficult to “comprehend that swing of performance.”
The Italian GP showcased the four-time world champion’s racing prowess after several race weekends, as Red Bull faced challenges with the RB21 F1 car since the beginning of the 2025 season. Starting on pole position offered Verstappen the much-needed advantage to pull away. He even fended off Lando Norris in the opening lap, who led for a short while before being passed.
Related: F1 Insider: George Russell Hurt by Mercedes’ Talks With Max Verstappen
McLaren has been delivering superior performances on most race weekends, but the race at Monza marked a significant difference in terms of the competitive order as Verstappen crossed the finish line nearly 20 seconds before Norris, leading Russell to highlight the significant shift in performance. Speaking to the media, he said:
“It’s difficult to understand the sport at the moment. When you look at Verstappen finishing 40 seconds off the win in Hungary and then winning by 20 seconds here, I struggle to comprehend that swing of performance.
“We finished 12 seconds behind McLaren in a normal race. That’s a pretty successful race. Ferrari is strong right now, and Saturdays are really close as well. So one-tenth faster or one-tenth slower on Saturday can be one or two positions on a Sunday.”
Addressing his own race result, Russell concluded that there was nothing more he could have done with the level of performance on his W16 F1 car, given the superior straight-line speed of Charles Leclerc’s SF-25. The Monegasque driver outperformed Russell to finish fourth. The Mercedes driver said:
“We were expecting to be two-tenths behind Ferrari and a bit more behind everyone else. I was reasonably pleased – I don’t think we could have done anything more.
“I think it was just very challenging to get by Charles – they were so fast on the straights. Had I just managed to get past him, it could have been a slightly different picture. Obviously that wasn’t the case. It was a pretty scrappy opening few laps, but fifth was where the car deserved to finish today.
“Obviously a bit of a shame to lose more ground to Ferrari in the constructors’, but I was pretty satisfied with the race.”
Read: George Russell Annoyed by Mercedes Miscommunication During Monza Qualifying
The post George Russell Struggles to ‘Comprehend’ Max Verstappen’s Win at Monza appeared first on Newsweek.
