Mercedes has poked fun at its own team principal Toto Wolff after he was filmed striking his garage timing console in frustration during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Wolff's reaction was triggered in the final moments of Q3 at Monza when Alpine's Pierre Gasly secured a surprise pole position, beating Mercedes driver George Russell to the top spot by just 0.060 seconds.
The Brackley outfit shared its own behind-the-scenes view of the moment, with the caption: "This goes out to all computer screens, we’re sorry - we just really wanted that Pole for George Russell. But congratulations to Alpine."
Wolff was asked from behind the camera if the screen was OK and what had happened. "It's OK," he said. "I just cared so much for George to be on pole. He was the quickest car out there. And then we got compromised in the last lap, so... yeah, that was annoying."
He added: "I'm happy for Alpine. We played a little part in there [as a Mercedes customer team] and them being on pole is something different, and they've done a good job."
At the time of writing, the clip shared by Mercedes had already been seen over 134,000 times. "Angry Toto, we missed you!" one fan commented.
This goes out to all computer screens, we’re sorry - we just really wanted that Pole for @GeorgeRussell63
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 5, 2026
But, congratulations to @AlpineF1Team 👏 pic.twitter.com/WAfYQ8PZ0Y
While speaking to Sky Sports F1 following qualifying, Wolff explained that Gasly cannot be counted out as a threat for the Italian Grand Prix.
"You always need to take everybody seriously," he said. "They have a huge amount of straightline speed. They've taken away a lot of drag.
"And on a single lap, that proved to be what is necessary. The race is a completely different ballgame. So we shall see."
Russell will start alongside Gasly on the front row of the Italian Grand Prix from second. While McLaren's Oscar Piastri qualified third, he was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson at Turn 2. As a result, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start from third and fourth, respectively.
