Russell believes he could have fought for a top position without the technical issue

Despite lacking pace through the practice sessions, Mercedes driver George Russell suggested that he could have fought for a top position without the technical issue that ruled him out of contention in the middle part of qualifying.

Mercedes endured a very difficult session at Monte Carlo. George Russell lost power and ground to a halt through the tunnel in Q2. Although he was eager to restart his car, he was unable to get going again, and will only line up 14th on the grid tomorrow.

His rookie team mate Andera Kimi Antonelli suffered a big moment in Q2. The Bologna-born driver made a crucial error of clipping the inside wall at the Nouvelle Chicane on his final lap in Q1, which saw him crash into the exit barriers.

Expanding on his difficulties, Russell lamented his misfortunes as he believed that he had to speed to fight for a place on the first two rows on the grid.

"Today was incredibly disappointing. I felt good in the car in Q1, and the team had done a fantastic job in turning it around after three difficult practice sessions. To not have the chance to show what was possible in Qualifying is both frustrating and a little heartbreaking.

"I believe we had a chance to get the car onto the front two rows of the grid. I had only used one set of the Soft tyres in Q1 and the Medium compound at the start of Q2 felt good. It was definitely coming towards us."

Elaborating on the technical issues, Russell noted: "The issue itself was odd. I hit a bump on the run out of Turn 1 and lost power. It felt like something electronic just disconnected. I tried everything I could to get the car back to the garage and then restart it when I stopped in the tunnel.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing more we could do. Starting P14 tomorrow is obviously far from ideal. That is even more true in Monaco. It will be a struggle to score anything more than minor points but, with the two mandatory stops, let’s wait and see what happens."