‘Not good enough for the TV producer’: Russell reveals unseen battle with Norris

George Russell finished 5th at the Monaco GP after a late battle with British compatriot Lando Norris.

George Russell was yet again the top Mercedes driver, finishing in 5th place at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.

Russell, who started 6th, made the jump on Lando Norris to 5th during the pit-stops.

Drivers had to time to perfection when to switch from extreme Wets to Intermediates and then to Slicks.

The Mercedes driver came under pressure late on though from Norris, who pitted again late on for fresh tyres.

The McLaren F1 Team driver caught back up to Russell in rapid fashion, however, was unable to find a way past on the tight and bumpy Circuit de Monaco.

The pair had a great battle for the majority of the race, but Russell revealed though that the best moment from their fight wasn’t picked up by the TV producer.

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“Yeah, I think so, there were definitely a lot of positives from that race,” Russell said.

“I think on the hard tyres before the second red flag we were the quickest car on track and that was a really fun stint, and obviously it was a bit close with Lando at the pit exit.

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“He came out in front of me at the pit exit, I was behind and then he went to the left and I sort of went on the wet stuff.

“But it felt pretty dicey from within the car for Monaco in damp conditions, but obviously not good enough for the TV producer.”

Before the race got properly underway, it was delayed by a considerable amount of time.

A sudden heavy downpour occured minutes before the scheduled race start, going completely undetected on all the teams weather radars.

Whilst some slammed the FIA for their decision making, Russell praised them with the track being “undriveable” initially.

“Yeah, it was tough, it was a bit frustrating in the car from the beginning when we kept having the delays,” he said.

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“But fair play to the FIA because I think they saw the weather coming in and it truly was undriveable, the conditions when we attempted it on the first occasion.

“And then the second red flag, track drying up, one dry line, it’s never easy, especially on a track like this.”

Russell’s 5th place finish continues his excellent start to the season, the British driver sits fourth in the championship on 84-points, 34-points ahead of his team-mate.

The former Williams driver is feeling very optimistic ahead of the next round of the championship.

The usually chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place in two weeks, where Russell is hoping for better than 5th.

“Yeah, we made it in P5 – more to come next time, I think,” Russell concluded.