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Toto Wolff and George Russell blame Max Verstappen for missing out on pole position, saying disruption from the Red Bull driver ultimately ensured Mercedes came up short in qualifying for the Italian GP. Russell had to settle for second on the grid at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza after Pierre Gasly delivered a superb lap to claim the first pole of his lengthy Formula 1 career on Saturday. It looked as though the 28-year-old had done enough to secure control for Sunday’s race in a bid to eat into Kimi Antonelli’s lead of the 2026 F1 standings, only for him to be beaten at the last moment. His French rival had found the lap of his life to record a memorable day for himself and his team, and one they sorely needed after the disappointment of Friday’s FIA International Court of Appeal decision. But whilst all of the headlines will be on the minnows celebrating their moment in the sun in northern Italy, the inquest begins at the Silver Arrows to understand how their W17 lost pole to an Alpine. “You always need to take everybody seriously,” Wolff said to Sky Sports F1. “They have a huge amount of straight-line speed. More from the Italian GP Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Italian GP coverage, including Pierre Gasly’s shock pole for Alpine, the full qualifying classification from Monza, and the growing controversy surrounding McLaren, Alpine, Flavio Briatore and the FIA. “They’ve taken away a lot of drag, and on a single lap, that proved to be what is necessary. Race is a completely different ball game, so we shall see.” He added, of Mercedes’ role as a power unit supplier: “I’m really happy for Alpine to have put it on pole. They’ve had some really difficult times, and we’ve contributed our little bit.” Wolff and Russell blame Verstappen as Mercedes come up short in Italian GP Qualifying But before the inquest even begins from the engineers at Brackley and Brixworth, Wolff was quick to point the finger at Red Bull and Verstappen by blaming the four-time Formula 1 world champion. The Mercedes team principal believes the 71-time Grand Prix winner caused the field to back up as they began their final laps, claiming Russell’s overall lap time suffered as a result. “Yeah, I think at the end,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “Where he got done over by Max in the final run when launching the lap. “It was just much too close, and that compromised the lap time eventually and that lost pole position.” Russell was even stronger as he explained Verstappen hit the brakes into Turn 11 and suggested it was because the Red Bull star wanted to play games in order to secure a tow on his own lap. “Everything was all looking fine but then going into Parabolica, Max just slammed on the brakes,” Russell said. “And didn’t want to be the lead car. “In hindsight, it would probably have been better not trying this, but P2 is a good place to start.” Verstappen has not been noted, summoned or otherwise investigated by the FIA for the incident and will start Sunday’s Italian GP from fifth on the grid.