Deflated George Russell Gives Harsh Monaco Weekend Verdict

George Russell left the Monaco circuit feeling dejected after an early end to his qualifying session on May 24, 2025. Mercedes faced a challenging day, with both drivers set to start towards the back of the grid in one of the year’s most important races.

Russell’s trouble began during Q2, when his car suddenly lost power just as he was about to set a quick time up the hill in the first sector. He was unable to restart the car, bringing his session – and his hopes for a strong result – to a sudden close.

Minutes earlier, his teammate Kimi Antonelli had crashed at the end of Q1, adding to the team’s frustrations. Russell suggested a familiar bump on the straight triggered the power failure.

He admitted the bump had been there all weekend and was something he’d felt repeatedly during practice. However, this time, it caused the whole engine to switch off, a situation that puzzled both Russell and the team’s engineers.

Reflecting on the setback, he shared that Mercedes had struggled all weekend to find the right setup for his car. He decided to revert to a more basic configuration for qualifying, and from the first lap, he felt competitive again.

Russell believed he could have reached the top four if not for the unexpected exit. Meanwhile, Antonelli, who kept a setup closer to FP3, continued to struggle with grip and balance.

Qualifying is always vital at Monaco due to the track’s tight layout and limited overtaking opportunities. This year, a new rule will require drivers to make two pit stops during the race, but Russell does not expect it to help much.

He noted that even though they performed well in Q1 without using new tires, and that he was nearly two tenths quicker during his opening Q2 lap, all progress vanished with the incident. The frustration was clear as he noted the team had both sets of hard tires ready and strategy options on the table, but now all of that preparation was pointless.

Russell described it as “weekend over,” capturing the disappointment as their qualifying performance disappeared in an instant. Despite the forced two-stop regulation, Russell remains realistic about the challenges ahead.

In his view, no matter which tire strategy Mercedes chooses, the grid position means they will be stuck behind slower cars. He expects teams to take different approaches with their tire choices on Sunday, but the narrow nature of the Monaco circuit makes meaningful progress from deep in the field extremely difficult. The race promises to be a monaco gp racing lottery, where luck plays a big part in final outcomes.

Elsewhere on the grid, other teams and drivers faced problems of their own. The stewards issued a penalty to Lewis Hamilton, impacting his start position further, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen encountered confusion over car setup after a tough qualifying session.

Lando Norris gave the crowd a thrill by breaking the all-time Monaco lap record and claimed pole position. Ferrari and McLaren drivers prepared for a complex race ahead.

Russell’s early exit and Antonelli’s crash mark one of Mercedes’ most disappointing Saturdays this season. While the team will still try to find an edge with strategy and pace, the odds of a strong result are slim in Monaco’s famously restrictive conditions. For more insights on Monaco’s unique racing challenges, check out this analysis from Motorsport Magazine.

For Russell, the frustrations of qualifying have made the rest of the weekend feel like an exercise in damage limitation. The focus now turns to finishing the race and hoping for any opportunities that might arise if chaos breaks out on Sunday. To understand how teams strategize in such scenarios, the F1 official website offers a deep dive into race-day tactics.

John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.