F1 star mocks rival after controversial FIA penalty at Monaco GP

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F1 star mocks rival after controversial FIA penalty at Monaco GP

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell was handed a controversial penalty in Monaco

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 27 May 2025 11:57

Mercedes Formula 1 star George Russell has been mocked by one of his rival drivers following a controversial penalty verdict at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix.

Russell took matters into his own hands when stuck behind Alex Albon on the Monte Carlo circuit last weekend, purposely cutting the corner at the Nouvelle Chicane to overtake the Williams on lap 49.

F1 HEADLINES: Lewis Hamilton subject to post-race Monaco GP inspection as FIA issue late penalty

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When instructed to give the position back to Albon, Russell refused, telling his team over radio: "I'll take the penalty, he's driving erratically."

Following the move, it was speculated throughout the live race broadcast that the 27-year-old would be handed a 10-second penalty as a result. However, the FIA confirmed shortly after that Russell had been handed the more severe punishment of a drive-through penalty, but would have been spared the harsher verdict had he not revealed his intentions via the Mercedes radio.

The Silver Arrows star was heavily critical of this year's Monaco GP after failing to finish in the points on Sunday, taking to Instagram after the race to share his thoughts.

Russell and Albon settle Monaco score

Russell accompanied his Monaco Instagram post with the caption: "Monaco is such a special place but we knew our weekend was over following the failure in qualifying.

"Dinner on you tonight Albono!!!"

In response to Russell's clear dislike of Williams' Monaco tactics, Albon took to the comments to mock his rival and close friend, saying: "I’ll take you to a drive thru."

Despite the sneaky strategy of James Vowles' outfit, Albon and Russell don't appear to have any bad blood between them after the eighth championship round, with the Williams driver using his own social media account to reveal he did in fact take Russell for an apology dinner.

The 29-year-old who has raced against Russell since the pair were young karters confirmed they did go for dinner in Monaco after the race, with Albon revealing that he did pick up the bill, with the driver applauded in the comments for his sportsmanship.

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A post shared by Alex Albon (@alex_albon)

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Lewis Hamilton Mercedes FIA George Russell Monaco Grand Prix Alex Albon