Friday in Monaco was anything but optimal for Mercedes. While Andrea Kimi Antonelli just reached the top 10 as a ninth (+0.647), George Russell was only twelve with 0.737 seconds behind.
“As far as pure performance is concerned, it was probably our slowest training on Friday so far,” he says soberly.
In the narrow guardian canal of the principality, like many others, he fought traffic and rhythm problems-a well-known Monaco scenario: “The route is not large enough for 20 Formula 1 cars. Our strategy team said that if everyone was perfectly distributed, it would only be two and a half seconds between the cars.”
Russell surprised by the tire selection
Monaco is “a traffic paradise”, Russell jokingly quotes his driver colleague Yuki Tsunoda – and it also felt like it.
Russell made the approach of some competitors in the tire choice really beyond: “Some teams have already sorted out the hard tire – that surprised us,” he says.
This indicates that various strategy approaches are emerging for the race. And that is exactly what Russell sees a chance: “With the two -stop strategy for the first time, Sunday could be very interesting.”
Mercedes star Russell remains calm
Despite a disappointing placement on Friday, Russell remains calm. Memories of the previous year give confidence: “Last year we also had a bad Friday in Monaco and in the end, I think, were just a tenth from the pole.”
Therefore: “Even if we may not end up in the TOP 5 or TOP 3 tomorrow – I think we still have a chance on Sunday.”
Precisely because the new compulsory stops come into play a strategic variant that will be the first time for everyone. Therefore, “everything is still in” in the race, even if Mercedes is currently not one of the most top top.