George Russell suffers early setback as Monaco Grand Prix weekend begins

George Russell, Mercedes, Montreal, Canada, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

George Russell suffers early setback as Monaco Grand Prix weekend begins

Russell will be hoping this isn't a sign of things to come

By Kerry Violet.

Friday 5 June 2026 21:00

The Monaco Grand Prix weekend is only just getting underway, but Mercedes driver George Russell has already encountered mechanical issues in Monte Carlo.

The British driver arrives at one of Formula 1’s most iconic venues looking to bounce back from a frustrating Canadian Grand Prix, where he failed to score in the main race despite taking victory in the sprint event.

Russell appeared on course for a standout result in Montreal and had gotten the better of teammate and championship rival Kimi Antonelli, but his race unraveled when reliability problems forced him to retire from the lead around the halfway point.

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The six-time grand prix winner was left visibly fuming and more importantly, 43 points behind his teenage team-mate as a result.

And things haven't gone well for Russell so far in Monaco either.

Russell struggles early in Monaco

The track action may not have kicked off yet in the principality but that hasn't stopped the Silver Arrows star from being snapped at the side of the track pushing his own vehicle, with the help of girlfriend Carmen Mundt.

Many of the F1 drivers reside in the principality including Russell, which could explain why he opted for the rather unusual vehicle to get him to the track ahead of Thursday's media day and the weekend's track action.

Russell will be hoping he doesn't suffer a similar fate at the wheel of his Mercedes F1 car this weekend, with a points haul exactly what the Brit needs to restore Toto Wolff's faith in him.

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When is the Monaco Grand Prix?

After two back-to-back sprint race weekends, the Monaco GP will return to regular running.

As a result, two practice sessions will take place on Friday, June 5, before the third and final hour of practice commences on Saturday, June 6, followed by qualifying.

On Sunday, June 7, lights out for the Monaco GP will then take place at 3pm local time (CEST) which is 2pm BST, 9am EDT and 6am PDT.

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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F1 George Russell Monaco Grand Prix