26/05/2025 12:20
George Russell has flippantly waved off his drive-through penalty
at the Monaco Grand Prix, claiming he "didn't really care" because
he was outside the points-paying positions. The Mercedes driver
started P14 in Monte Carlo after hitting a bump on the street
circuit caused his power unit to lose power during qualifying.
Despite the novel two-stop mandated race, the Briton knew he was in
for a difficult afternoon , which was exacerbated by the new
obligation, with drivers deliberately backing up the field to
afford team-mates ahead time to complete both enforced stops. It
was a strategy employed effectively by Racing Bulls and Williams,
with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson finishing sixth and eighth in the
principality, whilst Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz rounded out the
top 10. "We had planned with Kimi and I to basically do the same
strategy as what VCARB [Racing Bulls] and Williams implemented with
the two drivers," Russell told media including RacingNews365. "But,
ultimately, qualifying 14th and 15th, there is nothing you can do.
You pit on lap one, we'd have finished nowhere. You go long, we
finished nowhere. "Ironically, I finished in a higher position by
doing my manoeuvre with Alex [Albon] than I would have done if I
hadn't. So that in itself proves the system is pretty flawed."
Russell: 'I didn't really care...' Initially, Sainz backed the pack
up to allow Albon to pit, who subsequently let his team-mate
through to do the same. At which point, Russell became fed up with
the team play and skipped the Nouvelle Chicane to get past Albon,
even though Sainz was just up the road. The stewards took a dim
view of it, giving him a drive-through penalty when a lighter
punishment was anticipated. "I was a little bit surprised, but I've
got to be honest, I didn't really care, because I was out of the
points," Russell conceded. However, the three-time grand prix
winner maintained he had no regrets, adding: "I didn't get a chance
yesterday to enjoy Monaco, and I just said: 'Screw it, I want to
enjoy Monaco. I want to enjoy driving this track full gas. It's one
of the best circuits in the world.' "And that's what I did. The
last 25 laps was the most fun I've had all weekend. Pretty
exhilarating. I was really pushing my limits, testing myself. "And
as I said, ironically, if I didn't do this, I would have finished
maybe 15th or 16th."
