F1 rival ribs Ricciardo on social media in early 2024 mind games

George Russell has taken to social media to document his preparations for the 2024 season, and take a jovial pop at Daniel Ricciardo at the same time by tagging the Australian and claiming that 'real athletes sweat'.

The Mercedes driver's popularity over on social media has risen starkly in the last 12 months, with the Brit becoming the face of many Formula 1 Twitter (X) memes, particularly since his iconic pose for the 2023 opening titles.

25-year-old Russell has recently admitted nerves for the shooting of the 2024 intro, because his pose was so memorable in 2023.

Now, the Brit has used his fitness regime ahead of the 2024 season to make somebody else the butt of the social media joke for once.

Mercedes, alongside Lewis Hamilton" src="https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/5974a05bfa22602a299177efcd33a2ecfdf91779.jpg">

Russell's social media fame

Russell posted some workout snaps on his Instagram and X pages, with the caption "Real athletes sweat, right @danielricciardo? Season prep continues…"

This was in relation to a 2019 interview that Ricciardo gave after a race, where he said: "It's real sweat, I'm a high performance athlete, athletes sweat. Sweat baby!"

Russell is clearly intent on bringing this classic moment back, perhaps diverting attention away from some of his unusual social media moments recently.

Real athletes sweat, right @danielricciardo? Season prep continues… pic.twitter.com/wvqg2jF6Nv

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) January 19, 2024

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