George Russell experienced an unexpected power loss in his Mercedes car during qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix after hitting a bump on the track. The incident occurred in the Monaco tunnel during Q2, causing Russell’s engine to cut out and forcing him to end his session early, resulting in a disappointing 14th place start for Sunday’s race.
Russell had been facing challenges with car setup throughout the weekend, struggling to find competitive pace during practice. However, he appeared to have regained confidence going into qualifying, only for the bump at Turn 1 to cause his engine to shut down.
Details on Engine Shutdown and Set-Up Issues
After the session, Russell explained the problem, pointing to the persistent bump on the straight section of the track. He said he had been feeling its effects all weekend, but this time it caused his engine to switch off completely. This failure dashed Mercedes’ hopes of a strong qualifying result in Monaco.
Russell shared his frustration about the lost opportunity, noting the team had reverted to a more familiar setup in qualifying after struggling during practice sessions. He believed this adjustment had put him back in contention near the front of the field. He commented,
“Really disappointing because we got ourselves a bit lost this weekend with the set-up and went back to basics for quali and from Lap 1 I felt back in the game and you know also Kimi stayed with probably the set-up he had in FP3, I went back to something we knew, he was struggling and we were there, and I feel we would have been in the top four, and now we’re not.” —George Russell, F1 Driver
In addition to Russell’s setback, teammate Kimi Antonelli also had a tough qualifying session after crashing at the end of Q1. Antonelli will start from 15th place, completing a challenging qualifying outing for Mercedes.
Implications of New Two-Pit Stop Rule on Race Day Strategy
The Monaco Grand Prix will see a significant change this year, as all 20 drivers are required to make two pit stops during the 78-lap race, a first in the event’s history. This new regulation is expected to force teams to explore unconventional strategies, some even considering pitting at the end of the first lap to get one stop out of the way early.
Russell anticipates this will lead to unpredictable tactics that could impact race outcomes. Despite his starting position being far from ideal, he is preparing for a battle with competing strategies throughout the race.
He stated,
“For sure there’s going to be some crazy strategies, but we qualified 14th, probably should have been top five,”
Russell continued by highlighting the challenge of being stuck behind slower cars due to his compromised grid position, saying,
“That’s the problem that people will pit early for clean air but if everyone does it… You’re going to see one of two things, people pitting on lap one, or going really long into the race, so, we do have a small advantage with the two hard tyres, but if we can’t pass there’s not much we can do.” —George Russell, F1 Driver
Mercedes Faces Uphill Battle in Monaco After Qualification Disappointments
With both Russell and Antonelli starting deep in the pack, Mercedes faces a difficult task in improving their position during the upcoming race. The unexpected engine failure and crash have left the team in a compromised situation at a venue where overtaking is notoriously hard.
Russell’s comments underline the frustration of missing out on a more promising starting place, especially after feeling competitive in qualifying. Nonetheless, the upcoming race will test Mercedes’ ability to adapt to the new two-stop rule and leverage any strategic opportunities to recover lost ground.
