Brundle insists Russell must confront Mercedes after a virtual safety car strategy cost him a potential victory at Monza.
Russell appeared set to close the gap on championship rival and teammate Kimi Antonelli at Monza. While Russell stayed out on hard tyres during the VSC, Antonelli was brought in for fresh mediums. The 20-year-old leveraged the tire advantage to climb the order and claim victory at his home race.
“It’s been a very difficult day for George Russell,” Brundle explained. “He must sit down with the team and ask, ‘How did that happen? I was leading the race. Why was I not given the preferential cheap pit stop?'”
Antonelli took a power unit penalty at Monza, starting him at the back of the grid and giving Russell a prime opportunity to close the gap in the standings.
“For the world championship, this was George’s chance to address the deficit, but that gap has grown,” Brundle added.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Former W Series driver and Sky Sports pundit Naomi Schiff echoed Brundle’s comments. “I think the reason he appears so calm right now is that he is likely questioning himself as well, wondering why he couldn’t maximize the situation.”
“However, with hindsight, he will be asking questions, such as, ‘Why did I not get to pit during the VSC?'”
“He was on a different strategy and they wanted him to go long, but ultimately, a fresher set of tyres could have saved him the victory.”
Antonelli, who claimed his seventh F1 win at Monza, now leads the standings with a 66-point advantage over second-place Russell.