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George Russell explained how Max Verstappen disrupted his lap at the end of qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver was provisionally on pole position before the final runs began but his final run was spoiled as he had to run close behind Verstappen, who slowed down significantly before beginning his last lap in Q3.“Everything was all looking fine, but then going into Parabolica, Max just slammed on the brakes and he didn’t want to be the lead car,” Russell explained. “So, it’s just one of those things. You can’t control what other people do.” Mercedes intended Russell’s team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli to give him the benefit of a slipstream. The pair left the pits behind Verstappen, who was following the McLaren drivers, but dropped back from them after going off at the first chicane. “Kimi was there to give me the slipstream, which he did perfectly on the first run,” said Russell. “But obviously with Max, I think it also made it difficult for Kimi to know what to do as well. “So it was just a little bit unfortunate. In hindsight, we probably would have been better off not trying this, but we wanted to give it everything. And nevertheless [second on the grid] is a good place. We’re ahead of our rivals and still have a great shot to fight for the win.” Although Russell improved his overall lap time on his final run, he lost time through the first sector and was unable to prevent Pierre Gasly taking pole position from him. Russell said he was also less happy with his car’s balance in qualifying compared to final practice. “It was a very scrappy session,” he said. “I didn’t feel quite as good with the car as I did in FP3. I was struggling with locking up. “Then, come Q3, we had a bit of a mess with Verstappen entering the lap. He wanted to go for the tow, Kimi was there as well, and I did my lap a second and a half behind Max, which wasn’t ideal. “It takes nothing away from what Pierre achieved because, as he said, they were flying all day, quickest in Q1 and right up there from the beginning. So I’m happy for Pierre and, of course, disappointed we weren’t on pole ourselves. However, great place to start for tomorrow.” Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and 2026 Italian Grand Prix - Verstappen “just slammed on the brakes” at Parabolica before final qualifying lap – Russell - Piastri handed three-place grid drop for impeding Lawson - How “clever” Verstappen spoiled Russell’s bid for pole in qualifying at Monza - Gasly takes surprise Monza pole ahead of Russell, Piastri and the Ferraris - 2026 Italian Grand Prix grid