‘It didn’t click’ Russell says after qualifying P6 for Monaco GP

Mercedes’ George Russell has claimed Monaco is proving to be a difficult weekend for him, and it hasn’t clicked for him in qualifying, finishing P6 for the Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

Russell has endured a hit-and-miss weekend in Monaco so far, after finishing a second off the pace in FP1 before finding pace to finish three-tenths off the pace in FP2. While the Briton was able to find some more competitive pace in the final hour of practice, he was bested by his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who went fastest overall and sealed his fourth pole position of the year.

Further down the order in qualifying, Russell finished sixth, four-tenths off the pace of his teammate. The #63 Mercedes will now start behind Antonelli, as well as both Red Bulls and Ferraris, sharing the third row with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.

The British driver claimed ‘it didn’t click this weekend’ as he entered qualifying without full confidence in the grip levels, claiming something in his driving style is hindering his performance. He said:

“This has been a very challenging weekend for me so far and that continued into qualifying. It has been a bit of a weakness of mine recently and unfortunately it didn’t click this weekend. There were a few good laps across the hour, and FP3 had been promising, but those moments were too few and far between.

“You need full confidence in the grip level you are getting, particularly around here, and I didn’t quite have that. It’s been a frustrating run for me recently and I need to understand why I am struggling to get the tyres working in the way they need to be.

“Clearly something in my driving style isn’t helping deliver what I need to; it worked well last year but these new generations of car may need something slightly different. I don’t have a clear answer just yet but will work hard with the team to get on top of it.”

Antonelli ‘delivering as a driver’ says Verstappen ahead of Monaco GP

While Russell believes he is going to have a ‘long afternoon’ around the Streets of Monaco in Sunday’s race, after qualifying sixth, Mercedes’ Team Principal, Toto Wolff, has put a supportive arm around their experienced driver.

The team boss has supported Russell’s argument that he has not been comfortable in the car in Monaco this weekend. Despite that, Wolff claims it won’t be long before the Briton bounces back with the support of everyone behind him

“On George’s side, he has just not been as comfortable in the car this weekend,” said Wolff. “He has not felt the grip and therefore not had the confidence to push as much as you need to. That is particularly challenging in Monaco where confidence is one of the most important factors for unlocking lap time.

“We know the ability he has though and it is only a matter of time before he bounces back. He has a great group of people around him and everyone is fully behind him. We’re supporting him every step of the way, and we’re confident he’ll come back stronger.”

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Antonelli ‘delivering as a driver’ says Verstappen ahead of Monaco GP
• Charles Leclerc’s confidence paid ‘the price’ in Monaco GP qualifying
• Antonelli pips Verstappen to seal Monaco Grand Prix pole
• Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur to miss Saturday running after medical checks
• McLaren fined for technical breach at Monaco GP
• Hamilton tops second practice at Monaco Grand Prix
• Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 at Monaco Grand Prix practice

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.