MERCEDES driver George Russell has revealed why his F1 rivals once accused him of distracting them before a race.
The 27-year-old has been in good form on track this year and currently sits fourth in the driver standings.
AlamyGeorge Russell has revealed how he once accidentally distracted his rivals on a race weekend[/caption]
With McLaren stars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the pack by a significant margin, Russell and reigning world champion Max Verstappen are tipped to battle it out for third.
And given the small gap separating them, any psychological advantage could prove hugely beneficial.
Russell appeared to unintentionally have the upper hand against his opponents during a recent race weekend – due to a TV clip repeatedly shown in the drivers’ hotel rooms.
Recalling the situation at a recent event for Marriott Bonvoy, he said: “Those movies in the hotel rooms are always quite good as I had one of my own adverts that was playing in the hotel.
“It was in one of the Ritz-Carlton hotels where all of the drivers stay.
“They all came up to me the following day saying I was distracting them.
“Every time they walked into their room I was just on the TV screen talking to them.
“Maybe I could do a personalised messaged to them, like ‘you will not win the race this weekend’ or something, so maybe we can do that!”
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Russell missed the F1 media day prior to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Thursday due to illness.
However, he returned on Friday for the two practice sessions.
The Brit was fourth-fastest in FP1 and third in FP2 behind Ferrari stars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
F1 2025
THE new Formula One season is well underway – and one team appear to be running away with it.
A massive summer of change saw Lewis Hamilton move on from Mercedes and join Ferrari, while the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have a big chance to end Max Verstappen‘s recent dominance.
The Red Bull ace is aiming for a record-equalling FIFTH consecutive world title.
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