George Russell reveals the real reason behind his wrong rain report at the Spanish GP

George Russell mistakenly perceives rain due to intense braking forces at the Spanish Grand Prix

George Russell reveals the real reason behind his wrong rain report at the Spanish GP

George Russell

Rain was forecasted for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, and the weekend did see wet conditions on Saturday during free practice 3. On Sunday, however, on lap 27 of the race, George Russell was the only driver to report rain on the circuit. This caused confusion between the audience and his race engineer Marcus Dudley. The Brit in the post-race conference cleared his radio message.

George Russell explained that it was not raining, but he experienced his sweat during the race. It turns out he did not tuck correctly tuck his hair into his balaclava, causing sweat and his sweat to fall on his face under braking.

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“I had my hair dangling down in the first stint – I think I didn’t quite get it in my balaclava. That was annoying because it was in my peripheral vision,” the Brit confessed. “That was a bit of a bit of an embarrassing one,” Russell concluded. With rain looming around the circuit, it’s easy to see how George drew that conclusion.

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Whatever the occasion, you can always count on George Russell for his peculiar radio messages. Russell’s “Crikey” radio message at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix and “Sugar” at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix will always remain fan favorites.

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George Russell’s radio banter steals the show again

George Russell at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix; Image credit: Formula1News.co.uk

After a move on the inside of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari who was running in 3rd place, George Russell’s radio message attracted attention once again. After the successful lunge on lap 35, his race engineer Marcus Dudley appreciated his overtake calling it “solid.”

To which George Russell replied, “Just solid?” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff then said, “It was very good.” George Russell post-race explained the funny radio message exchange, calling it a ‘good laugh.’ “It was just a bit of a joke with Marcus… Toto likes the big radio messages of encouragement,” Russell concluded.

Mercedes’ new side pods have proven to be effective at the Spanish Grand Prix, with both drivers finishing on the podium. Despite qualifying P11, George Russell blazed past Sainz’s Ferrari and fended off Sergio Perez’s Red Bull to finish P3. With Lewis Hamilton’s P2 finish, the Silver Arrows had their best season result.

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