In Monaco, Mercedes experienced one of their worst races of the last 12 years. Both drivers, after a qualifying session that was tragic from a sporting perspective, got stuck in the usual train that forms during the Monte Carlo race. But things worsened lap after lap, culminating in the penalty handed to George Russell.
After being literally stuck behind the Williams cars for 50 laps, the British driver decided to cut the Nouvelle Chicane and overtake Alexander Albon that way, trying to build a gap that would allow him to offset the inevitable penalty he expected to receive shortly.
It is clear that Russell was expecting a 10-second penalty (that has been the standard since last year’s Miami GP, when Magnussen made an overly aggressive defence to help his then-teammate Nico Hülkenberg score points). Had that been the case, Russell probably would have been able to open up a sufficient margin to finish ahead of Alex Albon’s Williams and thus in the points.
Instead, the FIA stewards took a very different approach than what George Russell had anticipated. In the document that formalised the sanction — a Drive-Through — the reason is explained as to why the Mercedes driver received a much harsher penalty than the usual 10 seconds.
It should also be noted that, before the race, race director Rui Marques had warned the teams specifically on this matter. If anyone were to cut a corner to overtake a slower car in a deliberate way, the penalty would go beyond the usual 10 seconds generally applied in such situations.
“Car 63 (George Russell’s Mercedes) left the track at Turn 10 and overtook car 23 (Albon’s Williams). He did not return the position and maintained his position on track,” reads the stewards’ verdict. “From the radio message in which he said he would ‘take the penalty’, it’s clear the overtake was made deliberately, as he believed he was being impeded by car 23, which he felt was driving improperly.”
“Foreseeing that such situations might occur in this Monaco Grand Prix, all teams were informed before the race by the race director (at the request of the stewards) that any deliberate track exit at Turn 10 to overtake a car or a train of slow-moving cars would be closely examined. In that communication, it was also clarified that the guideline penalty of 10 seconds could be insufficient for such a deliberate infringement and that a penalty exceeding 10 seconds could be applied.”
“We therefore deemed that the deliberate infraction by car 63 warranted a Drive-Through penalty, and we issued it.”
Moments before the stewards handed Russell his Drive-Through, Andrea Kimi Antonelli had made the same move on Albon. Once the penalty was confirmed, however, the Italian driver immediately gave the position back to the Williams driver to avoid receiving the same sanction.
Kimi Antonelli, however, still finished the race in last place, having made the two mandatory pit stops at the end of the race — the least opportune time. George Russell, on the other hand, finished just outside the points, in 11th position.
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