"I’m not going to give up," claims Russell after dismal result in Monte Carlo

George Russell left Monaco with no points and deep frustration, but the Mercedes driver was quick to stress that he is "not going to give up" on his championship aspirations.

While teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli stormed to a fifth consecutive victory — and his first around the streets of Monte Carlo — Russell endured a race defined by penalties, traffic, and a missed opportunity that he believes should never have slipped away.

Mercedes’ contrasting fortunes could not have been clearer. Antonelli enjoyed a largely trouble‑free afternoon, controlling the race from pole and managing both the Safety Car and red‑flag restarts with precision. Russell, meanwhile, found himself trapped behind Isack Hadjar in the opening laps, unable to unlock the pace he believed was in the car.

His race began to unravel when he was handed a five‑second penalty for speeding in the pit lane — a decision he still struggles to understand. As he explained afterward: “Firstly, congratulations to Kimi.

"He did an amazing job today and over the weekend and is a well‑deserving winner. On my side, the race was very difficult. I had managed to get to P4 but the penalty for speeding in the pitlane is difficult to understand.

"I was under the limit but then that was compounded by us not serving the penalty at my second stop; that ultimately cost me a lot and left me with zero points again.”

The situation worsened when Mercedes failed to serve that penalty during his Safety Car pit stop. The oversight forced Russell to take a drive‑through after the red‑flag restart — a devastating blow at a circuit where track position is everything. From that moment, his hopes of salvaging points evaporated.

Russell did not hide his disappointment, but he also refused to let the setback define his season.

“It’s tough to take but I’m not going to give up. Across the last two races, I’ve effectively lost around 40 points. It’s incredibly frustrating but the rest of the season can still look very different.

"We saw that last year and, in many seasons previous. It’s unfortunate how things have played out so far but I’m aiming to bounce back in Barcelona. I believe in myself and I know what I’m capable of.”