George Russell on breaking rules in Monaco: “I didn’t care, I was out of the points anyway”. George Russell admits he deliberately cut the chicane to pass Albon during the Monaco GP.

eorge Russell and the penalty received in Monaco: the controversial overtake, the FIA’s decision, and the harsh outburst

George Russell received a harsh penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix after admitting he deliberately chose to cut the chicane to pass Alex Albon. After the race, he explained that he had no regrets and criticized the FIA’s penalty system, calling it “flawed.”

Mercedes driver #63 had been stuck behind Alex Albon for several laps, given the near impossibility of overtaking in Monaco. He decided to take matters into his own hands and cut the Nouvelle Chicane to find clean air and build a gap for his pit stop.

Despite the advantage gained, George Russell was handed a “drive-through” penalty, considered harsher than the usual 10-second penalty. After the race, Russell admitted he had done it on purpose because he felt blocked. He said his decision was a form of protest against a broken system.

George Russell’s words
Speaking to Sky Sports, George Russell explained: “Kimi and I had planned everything this morning. We didn’t expect Williams and Racing Bulls to do the same. In the end, it was the only way to score points in Monaco.” Seeing himself outside the points, he decided to take a risk: “At some point, I thought: ‘Who cares.’”

George Russell stressed that he had no chance to show his potential in qualifying: “We lost everything yesterday due to a failure. I didn’t get to do a proper lap.” So, during the race, he took his opportunity: “I enjoyed 25 flat-out laps in Monaco. Paradoxically, even with the penalty, I finished better than I would have without it.”

The FIA openly condemned the move. The stewards wrote: “Car 63 left the track at Turn 10 and overtook Car 23 without giving the position back. From the radio message, it is clear the overtake was intentional: he said he would take the penalty.”

The stewards explained the penalty as follows: “We warned the teams that the standard 10-second penalty might not be sufficient in case of overtaking. For this reason, Car 63’s move warranted a drive-through.” George Russell finished in eleventh place, but sent a strong message about the penalty system.