By: The Italian Grand Prix was meant to be George Russell’s big opportunity to close the gap to team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was forced to start from 19th after an engine change. Unfortunately for the Briton, the Bologna-born driver was immediately very quick, with Russell finding him right behind after just 15-16 laps. The Italian’s race pace was extraordinary, but there were some very clear reasons why the odds were stacked against Russell.
Antonelli crushed everyone
The first was undoubtedly the power unit change. George’s unit has reached the end of its useful life, and his time will soon come to replace it and take a penalty. Another factor that undoubtedly helped the Italian in his recovery was the set-up: with no need to worry about qualifying, Kimi’s car was configured around race-distance competitiveness. Those conditions, combined with the fact that Antonelli drove an almost perfect race aside from his late trip through the gravel, left the competition with no answer.
The Bologna-born driver crushed all his rivals, Russell included. However, while many criticised George for failing to win the Grand Prix despite his advantage on the grid, he deserves credit for the incredible race he produced. The Briton was comprehensively beaten on one of his best days, perhaps even at his best point of the season.
Not even Russell at his best could stop Antonelli
Antonelli and Verstappen were among the few who chose to pit during the Virtual Safety Car period, caused by the technical retirement of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. The stop allowed them to fit fresh tyres and put themselves at a further advantage over Russell, particularly when they caught him towards the end of the race. By not stopping, George completed 50 laps on a single set of Hards, while Kimi reached the finish after a 25-lap stint on C4 Mediums and Max completed a 25-lap long run on C3 Hards.
Also thanks to this incredible tyre advantage, Antonelli was consistently at least half a second faster than George, with the gap often reaching one second. At the same time, despite the compounds not being in his favour, the Briton was quicker than Verstappen, who unsurprisingly finished the race more than 10 seconds behind second place.
Russell delivered a superb performance and perhaps suffered his heaviest defeat at his best point of the year. Antonelli, on the other hand, produced an extraordinary recovery drive, something George is unlikely to be able to replicate when he too has to fit a new power unit at one of the forthcoming world championship rounds.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Italian GP 2026
