George Russell finished fourth in free practice in Monaco, but the Mercedes driver admits that his team was put in difficulty, especially against Ferrari and a Red Bull that performed better than expected.
Read more Charles Leclerc reportedly discussed with McLaren and Mercedes before extending with Ferrari
For the first time in the 2026 season, Mercedes failed to place one of its cars in the top 3 on a Friday. An unusual signal for the German team, which had regularly been at the forefront until then.
In Monaco, it was the two Ferraris that dominated the debates, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton sharing the best performances of the two free practice sessions. Behind them, Max Verstappen consistently settled in third position, confirming Red Bull’s good form on the Monegasque track.
George Russell nevertheless managed to lift his Mercedes into fourth position during FP2, ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli. But the Briton remains at a distance, nearly four tenths off the best time set by Hamilton.
Russell acknowledges stronger than expected competition
The Mercedes driver does not hide his surprise at the hierarchy observed on Friday. He expected to see Ferrari play a leading role in Monaco, but believes that Red Bull also exceeded the German team’s expectations.
“We expected Ferrari to be the team to beat, and many thought it was just talk, but they clearly seem to be,” explained Russell.
The Briton also insisted on Red Bull’s level of performance, which he considers higher than expected in the streets of the Principality.
“Red Bull is also a surprise for us. We knew this would be our most complicated weekend so far, but it’s probably a bit more difficult than we had hoped,” he added.
Read more Kimi Antonelli strikes hard in Monaco in FP3 and makes Ferrari tremble before qualifying
Mercedes in search of settings before qualifying
Despite progress between the two sessions, Russell believes that Mercedes has not yet found the right balance with its W17 on the Monegasque circuit. The team made several modifications between FP1 and FP2, without managing to completely close the gap with the leaders.
“We made good progress between FP1 and FP2, but we need to make the same step forward tonight, because I don’t think we have everything perfectly set up,” he admitted.
The Briton also highlights a historical trend in favor of Ferrari on street circuits, where mechanical characteristics play a key role.
“The trends we see at Ferrari here and on street circuits have existed for years. Each car has a certain DNA, and theirs clearly works very well on this type of track,” he explained.
An open battle but a difficult challenge to overcome
Despite Mercedes’ efforts to close the gap, Russell remains cautious about the chances of catching up with the two leading teams. According to him, reducing the gap is possible, but overtaking them seems more complicated in the immediate future.
“We are doing everything to improve, but even if we can reduce the gap, I’m not sure it will be enough to beat them,” he concluded.
As qualifying approaches, Mercedes therefore knows that it will have to complete a perfect lap to hope to play a leading role in a weekend that currently seems dominated by Ferrari and Red Bull.
Read more Max Verstappen sets the goal for Red Bull facing Ferrari’s dominance in Monaco