Mercedes pit lane fine arrived after George Russell went 0.3 km/h over the 60 km/h limit in Monaco’s pit lane during first practice. The FIA handed Mercedes a €100 penalty after the breach, a small number for the team but a clear hit for a driver trying to keep a clean run through the Circuit de Monaco.
Russell’s Monaco Practice Run
Russell finished first practice in fifth place. He was one second behind pacesetter Charles Leclerc and four tenths slower than team-mate Kimi Antonelli, so the lap time still left Mercedes with work to do even before the fine arrived.
The speed trap itself was tight. Russell crossed the 60 km/h pit-lane limit by just 0.3 km/h, and that put the car in breach of Article B1.6.3a of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
FIA Article B1.6.3a
The penalty landed after first practice ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, where pit-lane discipline is under close scrutiny because every run through the lane is measured. Mercedes now carries the €100 fine on top of a session that already left Russell chasing Leclerc and Antonelli on the timing sheet.
For Mercedes, the practical takeaway is simple: the money is minor, but the breach is logged. For Russell, the session matters more for the pace gap than the sanction, because fifth place, a one-second deficit to Leclerc and a four-tenths gap to Antonelli point to a quicker reference already sitting in the same garage.
