George Russell must win the Italian GP to keep his title dream alive. This is stated by former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who expects Mercedes to be the favorite again at Monza. Russell is currently second in the championship but faces a significant gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli. The latter will receive a grid penalty during his home race, so it is up to Russell to take full advantage.
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With 242 World Championship points, Antonelli travels to Monza as the championship leader. Russell and Lewis Hamilton follow at a suitable distance with 183 points each. Mercedes confirmed during the last race weekend at Zandvoort that it will replace engine parts again in the young Italian’s car. This makes a grid penalty for Antonelli inevitable. A prime opportunity for Russell to make up points on his teammate. However, Palmer warns that Antonelli will also be a threat in front of his home crowd.
“He (Antonelli, ed.) could win, because I think Mercedes is still the absolute favorite for Monza,” Palmer responded in the F1 Nation podcast. “But if you look at Max Verstappen’s comeback wins, that was largely against Checo (Pérez, ed.), while the pace difference between those two is much greater than the difference between Russell and Antonelli. Russell was even faster in Zandvoort.”
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‘George Russell must win at Monza’
“Admittedly, he did not drive flawlessly and had two poor first laps,” Palmer added. “Moreover, his race pace was not as good as Antonelli’s. Still, I think that – if Russell is in form – Antonelli cannot just beat him from the back.” With that, Palmer sees a clear chance for Russell to reduce his deficit, provided he himself drives a flawless race.
At the same time, the Renault driver expects an unpredictable race at the Temple of Speed. “With strategic differences and safety car situations, it will be tough for everyone. The engines will be heavily tested; reliability will therefore be a challenge at Monza.” Regarding the title fight, he dares to draw a firm conclusion. “If Antonelli wins at Monza with a grid penalty, he is champion. I dare say that. It would be a huge blow. He would win his home race with a lot of overtaking maneuvers, with great confidence, and it would frustrate Russell enormously if he does not take points from him at Monza. Russell must win this race.”
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