George Russell says he is heading into this weekend’s race hoping for a much more ordinary result after a difficult Monaco Grand Prix.
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The Mercedes driver left Monaco without points after serving a drive-through penalty late in the race. The penalty came because he had failed to serve an earlier five-second time penalty when he pitted under a Safety Car for a second stop.
Since Russell’s victory in Melbourne at the season opener, his team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won every race. Russell retired in Canada with a battery issue, leaving him without points from the last two rounds and down to third in the championship, 68 points adrift of Antonelli.
Russell said he is “just dying to have a smooth weekend” at the Circuit de Catalunya.
“I’m not asking for the world to give me luck,” he said. “I just want neutral luck. That’s how it goes in racing sometimes.”
After qualifying in Monaco, Russell acknowledged he has not felt as comfortable in the Mercedes recently as he did early in the season.
“Across six races, honestly in Monaco and Miami my performances weren’t strong enough,” he explained. “In the other four races I feel my performances have been very strong.
“If things had gone normally I probably could have had three more podiums. I didn’t need any special fortune, just normality — that’s where we are.
“There’s nothing I can change about what’s happened. I’m focused on the things I can control and on continuing to improve. I’m feeling good and positive. If issues outside my control persist then that’s tough, but if they don’t, then fantastic.”
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