British Formula One driver George Russell finished fifth and claimed 10 points in the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, a race where he had previously qualified eighth and finished fifth in 2023.

Top three in FP1

George and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team started the weekend off by gathering data and getting plenty of laps in. Since Qualifying is such an important part of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, getting as much time on track during Free Practice is key.

George completed 34 laps across all tyre compounds during FP1. He began his first run by gathering data on the Hard tyre before changing to Mediums for his second stint.

After switching to Softs, he set the fastest lap of the session at the time.

Ultimately, George finished the weekend’s first Free Practice session in P3.

WATCH: 2024 MONACO GRAND PRIX FP1 HIGHLIGHTS

More data collected

George completed his first run of FP2 on Mediums before switching to Softs. After completing 30 laps, he finished the session P10.

Throughout the session, George struggled with vibrations in the car. On a track where confidence is necessary, this was a setback, but George still managed to gather important data for Qualifying and the Grand Prix.

WATCH: 2024 MONACO GRAND PRIX FP2 HIGHLIGHTS

Preparing for Qualifying

After completing a single lap on the Soft tyres, George confirmed that the vibrations he’d felt yesterday were no longer present.

He continued the session on Softs with the aim of finding a rhythm and fine-tuning the car set-up ahead of Qualifying. Having completed 33 laps to give him a strong understanding of the car, George finished the session in P6.

WATCH: 2024 MONACO GRAND PRIX FP3 HIGHLIGHTS

Strong performance in the season's most important Qualifying

George began Q1 on new Soft tyres which gradually came into the temperature window. He ended Qualifying’s first segment in P1.

In Q2, George began the session on used Softs. He ultimately finished the second Qualifying segment in P6 and safely got through to Q3.

After his first run of Q3, George was P5, with the top seven drivers being separated by only five tenths.

George’s final lap of Qualifying was on a set of fresh Soft tyres. He was able to improve on his first time and finished the session P5.

WATCH: 2024 MONACO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS

Top five in F1's crown jewel

George lined up for the Monaco Grand Prix from the third row of the grid and opted for Hard tyres. However, after a Red Flag came out on Lap 1, he switched to Medium tyres and restarted P5.

After changing his tyres, George’s goal was to run until the end of the race on his Mediums. As a result, he spent the majority of the Grand Prix meticulously managing his tyres.

In the closing stages, George came under pressure from Max Verstappen but managed to hold him off to finish P5 and collect 10 points for the team.

The 2024 F1 season will resume on 7-9 June for the Canadian Grand Prix.

WATCH: 2024 MONACO GRAND PRIX RACE HIGHLIGHTS

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George Russell, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team driver:

That was the best race of our season so far. We had good pace and were able to show that near the end, despite being on 70-lap old Medium tyres. We were closing on the top four at the end and only finished a handful of seconds off P1. There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend as a whole.

We spent a lot of time this morning going through all the strategy options. When we lined up on the grid, and everyone ahead was on the Medium compound, I was very happy. That looked even better when Carlos (Sainz) stopped on the opening lap. The red flag came out though and made our lives more difficult! I spent the first 30 laps taking it easy and in the end, I was able to keep the tyres in a good place and get to the end. Max (Verstappen) put me under a bit of pressure at the end but it was all pretty controlled.

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