Mercedes driver George Russell feels he could have done better after finishing eighth in qualifying for the 2023 Monaco GP.
In his post-race comments, Russell stated that there was ‘definitely more there’ on the day as the Brit struggled to keep pace with front-runners Red Bull.
With an optimistic outlook after Q1 and Q2, he seemed to be within striking distance of Ferrari and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
However, Russell admitted to pushing too hard, an approach that ultimately slowed him down and compromised his potential.
“I pushed for more and paid the price and ultimately went slower than the potential,” Russell told media.
Despite the outcome, Russell harbors no regret for his aggressive approach.
He said that he would have been equally disappointed had he been a tenth behind without trying that extra bit.
“But am I surprised? You sometimes can’t get it right every time,” he said. “Right now, a little bit disappointing.”
Flying Verstappen
Alonso looked to have secured a surprise pole position in his final lap of Q3 for Aston Martin, but Verstappen pulled one of the finest qualifying laps of his career to supplant the Spaniard and claim pole.
However, the result was mixed overall for Red Bull after Sergio Perez crashed out in Q1, leaving the Mexican starting last for the race.
Red Bull team principal team boss Christian Horner said that Perez would be “kicking himself” for the error, which could prove vital in his push to challenge Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship.
“They’re sort of somewhere in the middle. I’m elated for Max. Probably the best qualifying lap of his career. And Checo unfortunately a mistake, too, early in Q1,” he said.
“I can only think maybe he was distracted by the pit light on the right-hand side because he just misjudged that first turn and the circuit was only going to get faster and faster.
“So he’ll be kicking himself for that.”
