Montoya: Mercedes cost Russell at Monza by not double-stacking under VSC

Monza, September 7, 2026, was the day Andrea Kimi Antonelli made history. The young Italian started from 19th, overtook the field, and became the first Italian winner at the Temple of Speed since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 2026. Mercedes celebrated a one-two finish, but behind that sweet victory lay a strategic crack that former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya exposed immediately after the race. George Russell controlled the early stages. He led most of the way and was regarded as the prime victory candidate before a mid-race virtual safety car changed everything. When the VSC appeared, Russell was leading but was not called into the pits. Antonelli, by contrast, pitted and used fresh tyres to cut through the field, catch Russell and pass him for the win. Montoya said on F1 TV's post-race show: "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." Toto Wolff defended Mercedes' decision, saying the two-stop was the best but they did not think it was the case, and that nothing would have stopped Antonelli. When asked about Russell's alternatives, Wolff replied: "No, George was on the hard and we needed to go on the one-stop so there was no chance." The core problem is that Mercedes left its leading driver exposed. Under VSC, a pit stop is relatively cheap because the whole field is running at reduced speed. By pitting Antonelli but not Russell, Mercedes handed the younger driver a near-free stop and forced Russell to fight with older tyres. Montoya did not claim Russell would definitely have won, but he insisted that a double-stack would have allowed Russell to emerge ahead and created a genuine fight between the two Mercedes drivers. The lesson from Monza is not about Antonelli's talent or Russell's pace; it is about strategic decision-making under pressure and the need to protect a race leader when the opportunity is there.