George Russell - Why walls "disappear" at "exhilarating" Monaco

Russell driving in Monaco for Williams — Photo: © LAT Images

Monaco Grand Prix

Russell - Why walls "disappear" at "exhilarating" Monaco

Williams driver explains why mastering Monaco takes a little bit of magic

Will Gray

Friday 21 May 2021 14:29

It takes a special mentality to master Monaco, and it is no surprise that many drivers deemed the best of the best - Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost – are multiple-time winners around these streets.

Monaco is arguably where the sport is at its most magical as drivers push to within millimetres of the twisting metal barriers, vying for gains of just milliseconds while sitting on a knife-edge of control.

George Russell may not be a master of Monaco just yet, although he could well be so in future, but the talented Briton who is competing here for only the third time in his career this weekend has described just how it feels to drive.

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“When you’re in the groove and fully in the zone, the walls almost disappear,” he said as F1 made a welcome return to the Principality for the 78th time, having been missing off last year's schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“You almost forget they’re there. That’s why it’s important to build that confidence. We don’t get to the limit on Thursday. The goal is to make sure you’re in the best place possible to absolutely nail it on Saturday afternoon.”