Russell: Monza P2 start undeserved for 'substantially worse' W13

©Mercedes

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George Russell says he doesn't deserve his second place on Sunday's Italian Grand Prix grid after a frustrating day in which his car once again felt "substantially worse" than earlier in the weekend.

Russell clocked in P6 at the end of Q3 on Saturday at Monza, one spot and 0.018s behind Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

But thanks to a cluster of engine penalties and subsequent grid drops impacting four drivers in front of him in qualifying - including Hamilton, the Briton will launch his race from the front row alongside poleman Charles Leclerc.

However, Russell rued a day, and not the first, in which he was unable to put Mercedes' erratic W13 into its "sweet spot".

"We don't deserve to be starting P2 after today's performance," Russell commented after qualifying.

"It was again a frustrating session because we can't seem to get the car in that sweet spot.

"FP1 the car felt great, in FP2, FP3 substantially worse. In Q1, the car felt great, [we were] a few tenths off Ferrari. Q2 was worse, Q3 was worse.

"But ultimately that's been a theme this season. Lining up P2 we'll have a faster race car, probably not fast enough to battle with Max, potentially [we can fight] Charles."

2022 Italian Grand Prix - Provisional Starting Grid

Russell admitted that Mercedes' inability to understand why its car continues to suffer from wild performance swings, even so late in the season, is "disappointing".

"We've got the best engineers in the business working day and night to understand why our performance is fluctuating so much 15 races in and we still don't have a grasp as to why that is," he said.

"So, that is a bit disappointing.

"We are in no man's land on a Saturday in terms of performance because we're so far behind the front two and a little bit ahead of the midfield. At least we have a fast race car."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.