Russell to "suck it up" as back pain fears to return around bouncy Monaco

Monaco Grand Prix

Russell to "suck it up" as back pain fears to return around bouncy Monaco

Russell bemoaned back and chest issues suffered with porpoising Mercedes

Ian Parkes

Sunday 29 May 2022 10:00 Updated: 11:34

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George Russell is ready to "suck it up" if back pain again strikes during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Russell revealed after the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola at the end of April he was beginning to suffer from back and chest pains as a result of the aggressive porpoising issues associated with Mercedes' W13.

At the last race in Spain last weekend, Mercedes' raft of upgrades appeared to have predominantly resolved the problem.

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Around Monaco's bumpy public roads, however, the stiffness of this year's cars due to the aerodynamic regulations has led to severe bouncing and a car that after FP1 on Friday team principal Toto Wolff declared was "undriveable".

Asked if he was prepared for more back pain after 78 laps around the principality, Russell said: "It's not going to be pleasant, to be honest.

"FP1, when we didn't have the car at its softest, it was a real challenge for both Lewis [team-mate Hamilton] and I.

"It's tough but you've got to suck it up and get on with it. That's all you can do."

F1 2022 cars "a step worse" - Russell

After qualifying sixth on the grid for the race, Russell declared this weekend's Monaco weekend so far to be 'the hardest he has ever experienced'.

He added: "I've been in one of the most challenging cars there has been to drive in recent times.

"It's not been easy for everybody. I think it's been a step worse compared to the previous era of cars, but there are certainly teams who seem to be more on top of it.

"Kudos to Ferrari, they seem to be good over the bumps. We saw it at Imola, they were smashing those kerbs and that pays dividends at these circuits."

Monaco rain dance to be performed

Russell, like Hamilton, is now hoping for rain, with the forecasts suggesting it could certainly play a part.

Referring to the Ferrari duo of polesitter Charles Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz, Russell said: "The only two people who won't want rain are the ones on the front row.

"The fact is nobody knows about these intermediate or wet tyres. They might last the whole race, they might last only 15, 20 laps, and that offers opportunity for us.

"Even though P6 is not the best place to be, on a day like that, you may be not in that window."