George Russell says his misfortune “cannot last forever” and is hoping for “neutral luck” at this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Russell scored no points last time out in Monaco after a late drive-through penalty as Mercedes failed to serve a five-second time penalty for speeding during a pit stop.
It means the British driver is now behind Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship and 68 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who has won five races in a row.
“I’m just dying to have a smooth weekend. I’m not asking for the world to give me luck, I just want like neutral luck. That’s how it goes in racing sometimes,” said Russell.
“Monaco and Miami, honestly speaking, my performance wasn’t strong enough. The other four races, I think my performances have been very strong.
“I probably could have had three more podiums if things had just gone normal. I didn’t need any good fortune, just normality. That’s where we are. There’s nothing I can change.
“I’m just super focused on my controllables, what I can do to keep on improving, and I’m feeling good, I’m feeling positive. If these things out of my control continue, then they are going to continue, and if I don’t, then fantastic.”
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George Russell says he feels like everything is going against him this season and the form of his teammate, Kimi Antonelli hasn’t helped him personally
The Monaco incident followed a power unit problem in Canada where Russell retired from the lead which ended an epic battle between himself and Antonelli.
Russell says he’s “never had this many races go against me”, but it “cannot last forever” as he looks to make inroads into his deficit to Antonelli.
“This week is about coming off the back of Monaco, I felt like everything is going against me, and when you look at the headlines of where I am in the championship, the run of form Kimi is on, it feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth,” he added.
“For me, it’s very helpful, very important, I feel in a good place coming into Barcelona, because I feel the things I can control, it hasn’t been a perfect season, but it’s been a good season, and somewhere I can keep on building.”
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On the The F1 Show podcast, Craig Slater and David Croft discuss George Russell’s recent run of bad luck, but say he needs to raise his performance to get back into the fight with Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes unable to appeal Russell’s Monaco penalty
Russell was one of five drivers who were hit with five-second time penalties in Monaco for speeding. Alpine appealed Pierre Gasly’s penalties, as he was demoted from third to seventh, and won the first part of their review on Thursday.
Alpine proved that the distance used in calculating the official timing and the pit lane speed was “inaccurate and overestimated the speed” Gasly was going at.
The unique Monaco pit lane sees drivers effectively cutting the corner, as they have for years, which shortens the pit lane distance. This element appeared to have caused the unusually large number of speeding offences.
Alpine also argued the FIA and FOM (Formula One Management), the latter supply the timekeeping system, were aware of the fault but the race stewards, who award penalties during the race, were not. The FIA and FOM representatives “strongly refuted” the claim.
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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater and Karun Chandhok take a look at the penalty that wiped Pierre Gasly and Alpine’s chances at a podium finish in Monaco
A verdict is expected on Friday regarding whether Gasly is reinstated to the podium but Mercedes will be unable to appeal the race result as teams must request a right of review within 96 hours of a session.
Russell said: “This was why I was pleading with them not to give me the drive-through penalty for the incorrect penalty in the race because once you have a drive-through, there’s nothing you can do.
“There was clearly something wrong in Monaco because you had more pit lane speeding in one race than you have in a whole season.
“Pierre deserves to get his result back, but of course, from my side, it’s going to be very annoying, but it changes nothing. The race is done now.”
Sky Sports F1’s Barcelona-Catalunya GP schedule
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Ahead of this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, we take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments from previous races at the circuit
Friday June 12
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Barcelona-Catalunya GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Barcelona-Catalunya GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)*
5.30pm: The F1 Show
6.30pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
Saturday June 13
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Barcelona-Catalunya GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint*
2.15pm: Barcelona-Catalunya GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: BARCELONA-CATALUNYA GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 14
7.35am: F3 Feature Race
9.05am: Porsche Supercup
10.20am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Barcelona-Catalunya GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
2pm: THE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Barcelona-Catalunya GP reaction: Chequered Flag
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Spain for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
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