Russell pushes broken-down Fiat Jolly through Monaco as F1 bad luck runs on

George Russell’s troubled 2025 season took an unlikely off-track turn when the Mercedes driver was forced to push his broken-down classic Fiat Jolly through the streets of Monte Carlo, accompanied by his partner Carmen Montero Mundt. Video of the moment quickly spread across social media, where fans were quick to connect it to his recent run of on-track misfortune.

The clip drew a wave of tongue-in-cheek reactions. “Whoever Kimi paid to stop George from getting the championship is taking his job very seriously,” one fan wrote on Reddit. Others were equally playful: “I know Kimi did this, I just can’t prove it,” posted one user, while another offered a more optimistic take — “George is the kind of guy that gets the bad luck out of the way in a different car, so he’s back lucky come the race. Lec style.”

The jokes carry a real edge given how Russell’s season has unfolded. He opened the 2026 campaign in strong form, winning the Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese sprint race, but has struggled to convert pace into results since. Technical problems disrupted his qualifying in China, a poorly timed pit stop ahead of the safety car cost him in Japan, and he was leading the Canadian Grand Prix before a battery failure forced him to retire.

Teammate Kimi Antonelli has capitalised ruthlessly, winning every full grand prix since China — taking victories in Japan, Miami, and Canada — to open up a 43-point lead over Russell in the drivers’ standings heading into Monaco.

The Monaco Grand Prix represents one of the most unforgiving circuits on the calendar, where track position is almost impossible to recover once lost. For Russell, who needs a clean weekend to claw back ground on Antonelli, the Fiat Jolly’s untimely breakdown was an unwelcome omen — even if the paddock and its fans chose to laugh rather than worry.