Ferrari are the team to beat at Monaco, says Russell

George Russell believes Ferrari has emerged as the dominant force heading into qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver stated that the Italian team is the one to beat after their strong performance in both practice sessions on Thursday.

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We expect Ferrari to be the team to beat. Many people think it's just an assumption, but the performance shown today proves they are really ahead.

Ferrari's cars topped both the first and second free practice sessions, solidifying their status as the main challengers for pole position on the demanding street circuit. In contrast, Mercedes finished fourth and fifth, with rookie Kimi Antonelli ahead of Russell in FP1 before Russell outpaced his teammate in FP2.

"We expect Ferrari to be the team to beat. Many people think it's just an assumption, but the performance shown today proves they are really ahead," Russell said. He admitted that Monaco was anticipated to be their most challenging race of the season and has proven even tougher than expected.

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Monaco was anticipated to be their most challenging race of the season and has proven even tougher than expected.

Despite the gap, Russell remains optimistic about Mercedes' potential for improvement, noting positive changes made between the two practice sessions. He attributed Ferrari's advantage to their car's mechanical characteristics, which are well-suited to street circuits like Monaco. "Every car has its own DNA, and Ferrari clearly has an advantage in terms of mechanics that is very effective on circuits like Monaco," he explained.

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Every car has its own DNA, and Ferrari clearly has an advantage in terms of mechanics that is very effective on circuits like Monaco.

Russell is working hard to close the deficit, expressing confidence in Mercedes' ability to improve. However, he remains uncertain if they can ultimately overcome Ferrari. Meanwhile, Antonelli confessed to struggling with the car's balance, particularly in the middle sector, which impacted their speed. He hopes for better performance in the next sessions after analyzing data from various setup options.

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It was not an easy day for us. I was uncomfortable with the car's balance, and that affected our speed.