George Russell failed to score a point for the first time this year in the Monaco Grand Prix, as the Mercedes driver had to settle for P11 after an engine failure in qualifying.
The 27-year-old was Mr Consistent to begin the 2025 F1 season, with Russell the only driver to finish every qualifying session, Sprint and Grand Prix in the top five places during the first six rounds. But his run met its end at Imola, and sank to new lows at last week’s Monaco GP.
Mercedes rarely looked like having the pace to compete with McLaren, Ferrari or Red Bull in practice in the Principality. Yet Russell began to turn a corner in Q1, only for a sudden loss of power at the start of Q2 left the Briton grinding to a halt in the tunnel and saw finish in P14.
Gary Anderson calls for F1 rule change after George Russell overtook Alex Albon off the circuit in the Monaco GP
Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed in qualifying for the Monaco GP, too, as the Mercedes rookie pushed late in Q1. Their woe was also made worse in the race, as Racing Bulls and Williams gaming F1’s two-stop rule for the 2025 Monaco GP left Russell and Antonelli stuck in traffic.
Russell eventually got fed up of failing to find a route past Alex Albon, as the Williams racer slowed down to help Carlos Sainz complete his two mandatory pit stops, that he cut across the Nouvelle chicane on Lap 50 of 78 and ignored Mercedes’ order to hand back the place.
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The Briton even stated he would accept whatever penalty he got for overtaking by cutting a corner, which convinced the stewards that it was intentional. So, Russell got a drive-through penalty in the Monaco GP, which ensured that he finished behind the Williams pair in P11.
Russell likely expected he would draw a five or a 10-second penalty for overtaking Albon off the road, as that is the standard punishment for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. So, Gary Anderson thinks the FIA must change F1’s rule to completely deter repeat offences.
Anderson explained to The Telegraph: “I believe that is a reasonable punishment in these circumstances, but this is where the regulations are a little vague.
“I would argue that the punishment for actions like Russell’s, at any race and not just Monaco, should mean that the driver is forced to hand the place back and potentially be given a time penalty, as well.
“That should be enough of a deterrent to stop drivers thinking they can get ahead illegally and then make up whatever gap the penalty would be in clean air.”
George Russell’s drive-through penalty was enough to stop Mercedes letting Andrea Kimi Antonelli copy him
While Anderson thinks the FIA needs to rewrite F1’s rulebook in response to Russell’s move on Albon in the Monaco GP, the Briton’s drive-through penalty was enough of a deterrent to see Mercedes tell Antonelli to let the Williams racer back ahead after copying his teammate.
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Antonelli flew through the Nouvelle chicane on L53 to get past Albon with the London-born Thai braking very early to help Sainz create a gap. But Mercedes did not let the Italian make the same mistake as Russell and forced Antonelli to give the place back before La Rascasse.
It was a mistake by Russell to try and game the rules by accepting a time penalty, as the FIA’s F1 race director Rui Marques had already warned the teams before the Monaco GP that any driver who tried to exploit the rules about leaving the circuit could receive a stricter verdict.
Russell, however, felt he had to try and do something – even if it was against the rules – as his race was heading nowhere (and very slowly) stuck behind Albon. If the 27-year-old had just stayed sat behind his friend, the best he could have achieved would still have been P11.
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