Mr. Consistency George Russell Caught Off Guard by Charles Leclerc And Ferrari’s Big Surprise

Every race is completely different for each driver on the grid. A result that looks satisfactory from a third perspective sometimes isn’t satisfactory enough for a driver. This was the case with George Russell, who finished in P3 in Monza behind Charles Leclerc.

The Briton, nicknamed Mr. Consistency for his consistent qualifying pace, is in incredible form this season after making his move from Williams. The fact Russell is above his seven-time championship-winning teammate should be enough to tell us about his season so far. However, despite another podium finish, the Brit wasn’t satisfied with the performance.

Talking to the media after his race, Russell admitted Ferrari’s race pace caught him off-guard. Russell finished in P3 but admitted there was no chance of him catching Leclerc during the race.

He elaborated, “I’m satisfied with the result, not satisfied with the performance, no doubt. It was a pretty long, lonely race. The pace wasn’t good — I think the biggest thing was the pace of Ferrari surprised us.”

“We expected Max and the Red Bulls to be competitive and exactly how they were this weekend and how they were at Spa, but Ferrari caught us by surprise, so that is why we couldn’t really fight for that P2,” concluded Russell.

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The Mercedes pilot wasn’t prepared for a 15-second gap to Leclerc during the race until the safety car period. This is a gap that Mercedes has closed to an incredible extent compared to the start of the season.

However, the result of the Italian GP is more of a reflection on Ferrari’s preparation for Monza than Mercedes’ lack of pace.

Did Ferrari put all their eggs in the Charles Leclerc basket for the Italian GP?

There is a suggestion that there was a greater focus on the Italian GP by the Scuderia because of the home race aspect. This could’ve been the reason Ferrari secured the pole position ahead of Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan suspects the same. He said, “I suspect that our neighbors have invested a little more [in this one race in Monza] because of their history and their geographical situation.” (Translated by Google)

However, he also added, “It doesn’t really matter what I think. It’s best to ask the guys next door [at Ferrari] if you want a factual answer.” 

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If this was a gamble by Ferrari to win their home race, Verstappen and Red Bull completely spoiled their party. Either way, the Italian GP might have come too late in the season for Ferrari to make a last charge for the championship.