Mercedes give George Russell new NICKNAME in cheeky social media jibe

George Russell

Mercedes give Russell new NICKNAME in cheeky social media jibe

George Russell's previous F1 nickname, 'Mr Saturday', came from his days at Williams and Mercedes have now freshened it up

Joe Ellis

Saturday 10 June 2023 17:57

Mercedes have decided to give George Russell a new nickname as he navigates his second year with the team.

The 25-year-old was previously known as 'Mr Saturday' during his time at Williams due to his fantastic performances in qualifying, even though he regularly failed to convert them into points on a Sunday – somewhat limited by the car he was in.

However, the roles have almost reversed at Mercedes, as the W14's race pace is so strong compared to the speed it has in qualifying the day beforehand.

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Mercedes, therefore, have now labelled Russell 'Mr Sunday' via their official Twitter account, celebrating his latest escapades at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Mr Sunday. 💙 From P12 to P3 last weekend. 🏆

GR’s first podium of the year and his 10th in F1. 📈 Solid. 😉 pic.twitter.com/WDyTgkgH3T
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 9, 2023

Zero to Hero

The Spanish GP in Barcelona proved a rollercoaster of a weekend for Russell that ended on a high.

In qualifying, he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton collided at the end of Q2, breaking the latter's front wing and seeing the 25-year-old Brit miss out on Q3.

Things threatened to be derailed before the race even began on Sunday as Russell took a trip through the Turn 5 gravel on his way to the grid.

But once the lights went out, it all went smoothly with Russell making it all the way to third behind Hamilton and race winner Max Verstappen.