70 points down the drain: Russell laments ongoing ‘bad luck’ after Monaco disaster

George Russell admitted he is in a ‘very, very weird state of mind’ after a disastrous Monaco Grand Prix compounded a brutal string of missed opportunities.

Despite driving a competitive Mercedes, pit lane speeding infractions and a late drive-through penalty stripped him of a potential podium, leaving the Briton lamenting a massive 70-point deficit caused by factors he insists are completely outside of his control.

‘Never had a run of bad luck such as this’

While his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli cruised to a dominant fifth consecutive victory, Russell’s afternoon descended into a nightmare of technical infractions.

Speaking after the race, a visibly drained Russell opened up about the psychological toll of watching a race-winning car yield zero reward.

“I still very much believe in myself and know what I can do… but there have been a lot of points down the drain,” Russell confessed.

“I am in a very, very weird state of mind because I’ve had very low moments in my career where maybe I’ve had a run of two or three bad races on my own personal performance, but I’ve never had a run of bad luck such as this.

“It didn’t happen when the car was P7 two years ago, or a P3 or P4 car last year, and now I’ve got the car, it feels very painful.”

70 championship points down the drain

The British driver was quick to separate a poor qualifying showing in Monaco from the uncontrollable mechanical and circumstantial failures that have ruined his recent Sundays, ranging from a terminal breakdown while leading in Canada to terrible Safety Car timing in Japan.

“I know that qualifying was a bad day for me, I accept that,” Russell explained.

“But the result of the last two races, I wish I could take some responsibility for the car breaking down in Canada, or the penalties [in Monaco], but it is completely outside of my control, and that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow.

“I was leading the race in Canada, and broke down. I could have been on the podium [in Monaco], and zero points. The whole season could look totally different with 70 more points.”

Despite the emotional weight, Russell remains adamant that his fortunes will turn:

“When I look at things objectively, I still think I’ll have been very close, and have at least two more victories. I still very much believe in myself and that we’re going to be fighting for race wins until the end of the year, but right now, it is tough.”