Russell still brands Monaco as the "one of the best circuits in the world" despite his disappointing afternoon

F1 Grand Prix, GP Monaco, Monte Carlo Circuit

Mercedes driver George Russell still brands the Monaco street track as the "one of the best circuits in the world" despite his disappointing afternoon in the Principality.

On the back of an impressive start to the 2025 F1 season, Mercedes endured a tough weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. Andrea Kimi Antonelli made a mistake in qualifying, touching the guardrails at the harbour which sent his Mercedes into the walls.

His team-mate George Russell looked in fine form in qualifying after his struggles across the practice sessions, but a technical issue saw him end up 14th on the grid.

From these lowly starting positions, Mercedes were always going to endure a tough time on the twisty and narrow streets of the Principality, but the introduction of the mandatory two-stop strategy and the tactical games saw Russell and Antonelli lose any chances of scoring points on Sunday.

The Briton was even handed a drive-through penalty for cutting the track and gaining a lasting advantage, but with Antonelli holding up their direct rivals, Russell was able to complete the penalty and the two mandatory stop without losing any position.

Ultimately, the Briton finished the Monaco race in P11 while the Bologna-born driver completed his first F1 appearance in the Principality in P18.

Having failed to score a point at Monte Carlo following an impressive start to this year's championship, Russell conceded that intra-team tactical games played a big role in how the 78-lap race progressed.

"It really felt like we were playing chess today on track with this new mandatory two stop regulation. The strategy was for Kimi and I to help each other out and gain positions throughout the race.

"Unfortunately, Williams and Racing Bulls opted for the same strategy, and it left us without any real options. We still tried to play the long game, hoping for a Safety Car or red flag, but nothing fell our way.

Signing off with a word for the introduction of the mandatory two-stop strategy, Russell noted: "With this regulation, it was easy for teams to work together, inverting cars and giving free stops possibilities.

"Driving four seconds off the pace and not being overtaken is easy here in Monaco so the calculation to do that is easy to make.

"On the bright side, I really enjoyed my last 10 laps. Monaco is one of the best circuits in the world and I had the chance to push to the limit and enjoy the most of it in those closing stages."