Russell did not want to put pressure on Mercedes despite his radio calls in Monaco

George Russell explained that he did not intend to put any additional pressure on Mercedes when he asked if the positions could be swapped between him and Lewis Hamilton during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Driver number 63 was handed a five-second penalty after rejoining the track in a dangerous manner, causing a collision with Sergio Perez at Mirabeau corner a few seconds later. The side-hit Mercedes from the Red Bull lifted up, fortunately without any serious consequences, and both cars were able to continue the Grand Prix.

In these conditions, Russell, in fifth position, felt that he could be threatened by Charles Leclerc, in sixth, while Hamilton was in fourth place.

The 25-year-old driver has since explained the reasons why he mentioned the possibility of the team letting him overtake Hamilton.

“I was held back by Ocon and Lewis, and Charles was closing in on me,” Russell declared to the media after the Grand Prix.

« I certainly wasn’t going to risk anything on Lewis in these conditions and on a circuit like this, but with this five-second penalty, it could have been a good buffer if Charles had caught up to me. But it wasn’t necessary in the end. I told the team, without any obligation or pressure from my part, that they just had to consider it. »

Russell finally managed to finish in fifth place, maintaining a lead of over 5 seconds compared to Charles. Thanks to their strong team performance, Mercedes is now just one point away from Aston Martin, who is currently second in the constructors’ championship.