Toto Wolff's complaint about Max Verstappen ruining George Russell's pole position bid at the Italian Grand Prix doesn't hold up when you actually listen to the radio chatter. According to F1 analyst Christijan Albers, the Mercedes team principal pointed the finger in the wrong direction after Pierre Gasly's shock Alpine pole left Russell empty handed. Wolff even told Sky Sports that Verstappen had 'done him over' during his final qualifying run, but the on-track reality tells a completely different story.

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When you dig into what Max was dealing with during Q3, things look nowhere near as cut and dried as Wolff suggested. The Red Bull driver was getting hammered with tyre temperature issues while trying to keep pace with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ahead of him. He even went off at Turn 1, running straight through the gravel trap, which definitely didn't help his cause. Then he was burning energy trying to make up ground, forcing his team to tell him to charge the battery back up after Ascari.

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Meanwhile, George and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli were absolutely flying at the Verstappen car during that crucial moment. But here's where the blame actually lies: George was pushing way too hard into the gap, and Kimi followed suit. If Russell had eased off slightly and given Antonelli some breathing room, the whole situation would've played out differently. Instead, Albers reckons George 'shot himself in the foot' by forcing the issue when it wasn't necessary.

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Kimi was in a tricky spot too, trying to give George space without actually overtaking Max and creating an even bigger mess. But the reality is Russell's aggressive approach towards a struggling Verstappen ended up costing him the lap he needed for pole position. Wolff's monitor might've taken a beating on Saturday, but the facts suggest the Mercedes boss aimed his frustration at the wrong driver entirely. Max had plenty of his own problems to deal with without needing to deliberately compromise anybody.

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