Nico Rosberg corrected Paul di Resta on George Russell’s new nickname after another strong drive at the Monaco Grand Prix. Di Resta dubbed the Mercedes driver “Mr Consistent” before the German former driver overruled with a new nickname: “Mr Awesome”.
Russell finished fifth, three places ahead of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton to back up his podium in Spain last time out. The 24-year-old kept up his record of finishing in the top five of every race this season and he currently sits fourth in the overall standings.
Di Resta, speaking to Sky Sports F1, said: “George, he is Mr Consistent. I think he is doing everything he can in that Mercedes at the moment and he is just dealing with it. He respects where they are and I think getting one over on Lando [Norris]that was probably the best thing that happened to him today, he will be happy with that I am sure he will be giving him some stick.
“Until they can spot him a better car and he can get to the front, he is doing everything that he can.”
Rosberg interrupted, saying: “Not only Mr Consistent but Mr Awesome! I mean this year’s performance so far has been phenomenal, maximizing everything.” Russell moved up one place from qualifying, where he was sixth place at the end of Q3 on Saturday and he hoped for rain on Sunday to help him overtake. He did get that rain, as the race was delayed by over an hour.
The Englishman was unhappy with the TV producers for not showing his near-miss with Lando Norris as he left the pit lane. The two nearly made contact, however, the incident was not shown as part of the live broadcast. “It was a bit close with Lando on pit exit,” he said. “I don’t know if you guys saw it, did you see it?”
After learning that the incident was not shown live, Russell said: “Wow, you missed it! He came in front of me on the pit exit, I was behind, he went to the left and I went on the wet stuff. It felt pretty dicey from within the car but it was obviously not good enough for the TV producer, so next time!”
The race had to be shortened to meet the FIA’s two-hour time limit, while there was a red flag on lap 30 when Mick Schumacher lost control of his car and hit the barriers as his car split in two. The Haas driver has since confirmed that he came away from the incident unscathed.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ended up winning the incident-filled race after a tactical error from Ferrari saw Charles Leclerc surrender his lead in his home race, leaving the Monegasque furious.
