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

Monza – Without Andrea Kimi Antonelli's stunning performance, Mercedes' victory at the Italian Grand Prix might not have become the most talked-about story of the weekend. But from Juan Pablo Montoya's perspective, the British team does not deserve all the praise. The former Colombian driver believes that Mercedes' indecisive strategy robbed George Russell of victory – the driver who controlled most of the race before being overtaken by his own teammate. The Italian Grand Prix this season was truly dramatic. Antonelli started from 19th place but with speed and audacity, the young Italian fought his way to the lead. He became the first Italian driver to win at Monza since 2026, when the legendary Ludovico Scarfiotti took victory. That is a historic milestone, but Montoya questions how Mercedes handled strategy at the decisive moment. According to the former Williams and McLaren driver, the problem lay in the virtual safety car period that appeared mid-race. At that time, Russell was leading, while Antonelli had only climbed into the midfield. Mercedes decided to pit Antonelli while leaving Russell out. Immediately, the situation changed: Antonelli had fresh tires and clear track ahead, while Russell had to continue on old tires in a car that was already worn. Montoya did not hesitate to criticize: “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.” The Colombian believes that if they had done that, the race could have ended with a real duel. Montoya added: “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.” On the Mercedes side, Toto Wolff rejected any claims that the team favored Antonelli. According to him, the two-stop was the best but they did not think it was the case, and that turned out well for Antonelli. Wolff said, “Today there was nothing that would have stopped him. George fought with worn-out tools at the end, so I'm really happy for the one-two.” When asked if there were any other options for Russell, Wolff answered decisively: “No, George was on the hard and we needed to go on the one-stop so there was no chance.” This statement shows that the team had calculated in advance and Russell accepted the sacrifice for the greater good. However, Montoya still disagrees. He believes that in a race where winning is the ultimate goal, prioritizing a driver who is leading is non-negotiable. Leaving Russell out made him lose the chance for his first win of the season, while also raising questions about fairness within the team. Looking deeper into the technical details, double-stacking is a common strategy when a safety car appears, whether real or virtual. Having both cars pit at the same time helps the team minimize overall time loss, but the risk is that pit crew might make errors due to the short interval. At Monza, the pit lane is quite narrow, but teams are used to it. Looking back, if Mercedes had double-stacked, Russell would have kept the lead ahead of Antonelli. But would he have been able to hold it to the end? Russell's tires had severely degraded in the final stages, while Antonelli, with fresh tires, could easily chase him down. So, Wolff has some reason to say that Antonelli was too strong today. But Montoya, who has often faced top strategists, asks the opposite question: Why didn't Mercedes try a two-stop for Russell? With Russell's tire management ability, an extra pit stop could have given him fresh tires to fight Antonelli in the decisive laps. If Russell pitted under VSC, he would not have lost too much time and would still have enough tires to attack. Another aspect Montoya wants to emphasize is the culture of prioritizing the number-one driver in a team. In many top teams, the driver currently leading always gets priority in the pits. The fact that Antonelli, who started 19th, was prioritized over Russell, who was leading, created a paradox. Perhaps Mercedes wanted to give Antonelli a memorable performance in front of the home crowd, but that inadvertently harmed Russell's chances. From a fan's perspective, Antonelli's victory is a fairy tale. Mercedes is an Anglo-German team, but the victory of a young Italian talent on home soil always carries weight. However, for those who follow closely, the question of strategic fairness remains open. Can a victory be complete when the teammate might have been put at a disadvantage? Based on my experience following races, I remember similar situations at other teams where double-stack decisions changed the entire season. At Monza, where speed and history merge, pit stop strategy is crucial. Those who seek victory must calculate every thousandth of a second. Mercedes was so focused on protecting Antonelli's position that it forgot Russell also deserved the benefit of fairness. This is a mistake Montoya cannot ignore. The greatest failure is learning how to read the race before it starts. In the coming races, if a similar situation occurs, will Mercedes learn the lesson? Will Russell be treated more fairly? That is the question fans will wait for. But regardless, Antonelli's victory is written in the history books. Montoya reminds us that behind the glory, there are moments of unfairness, sometimes hidden by the laurel wreath. Montoya, with years of top-level racing experience, knows the feeling of being treated unfairly by a team. He has experienced internal battles at McLaren. So, his words are not just idle comments. When the stands are empty, sports strip away its shell and reveal its skeleton. Today the stands were not empty, but Mercedes' strategy also revealed the skeleton of a team struggling to balance the future and the present. Antonelli is certainly a gem, but Russell is the one who was leading. In the pit stop game, priority usually goes to the driver who is in the higher position. Montoya has pointed out a blind spot in Mercedes' operations. This is also a warning to other teams: without a clear strategy, you may lose the trust of your own drivers. The race at Monza has ended, but the lesson about fairness remains open. That is what Montoya wants to say.