Eyes are on the Mercedes garage as George Russell doesn’t seem to be in top form: Bottas on standby for tomorrow.
Friday in Baku ended with an unexpected twist for the British driver, who after completing both free practice sessions, left the paddock to return to his hotel and rest due to health issues.
Russell hadn’t arrived at the weekend in perfect condition. On Thursday, he already skipped the usual media day as he was feeling unwell. Despite that, the 27-year-old from King’s Lynn managed to take part in both FP1 and FP2, showing strong pace with a 4th place in the first session and 3rd in the second.
Immediately after FP2, however, Russell chose not to remain long in the paddock — likely missing the engineers’ debrief — and decided to head back to the hotel to recover. The news was first reported by Mercedes-AMG Passion Club and quickly spread across social media, where fans flooded the Briton with messages of support.
Mercedes has not yet released an official statement, but the focus is on helping Russell recover ahead of the rest of the weekend. Valtteri Bottas, the team’s reserve driver, remains on standby.
Still, today’s results provide optimism: if Russell’s condition improves, he could play a key role in the rest of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, especially considering the strong pace shown by the W15 on Friday.
Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
