George Russell identifies damning question over Mercedes rival

George Russell has identified a crucial question over Ferrari, with Mercedes unsure how competitive the Scuderia will be in the Monaco Grand Prix. 

In recent seasons, Ferrari has had the strongest package at the Circuit de Monaco; however, victory was often missed by Charles Leclerc following either an error by himself or the team.

That was until last season, when the Monegasque converted pole position into a historic win on home soil. 

It has been a miserable campaign for Ferrari, although Russell has pinpointed two occasions where the Maranello-based outfit looked competitive. 

With Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari's performance varying so much, an unusual situation has been created in the pecking order. 

Russell has already secured four podiums from seven grands prix, yet often due to mistakes being made by rivals, something he recognises.

"I think we've been probably, on average, the third best team this season, but being the third best team has often found ourselves on the podium or qualifying in the top three," Russell told select media, including RacingNews365.

"So it's not quite as straightforward as it was was in the past. Obviously, Red Bull only have Max performing at the moment. 

"Lando and Oscar are both there in the race, but sometimes their quali performance is a bit inconsistent, and we can sneak in. But then equally Ferrari, they sometimes have better races, they sometimes have worse races. 

"They were pretty good on Imola race pace. They were pretty good in Jeddah as well. But now we're in Monaco, where they've been the kings of in the past, but maybe their new car isn't as suited. So, right now, we're not too sure."