George Russell came close to falling in the drink in Canada as he made a heroic attempt to rescue a ping pong ball.
The Mercedes man was enjoying some downtime after guiding his Mercedes to fourth position in qualifying on Saturday.
He will be hoping to get a second straight podium position with team-mate Lewis Hamilton alongside him on row two, behind Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.
On board a small boat, Russell was showing off his ping pong skills with a member of the Mercedes team before the ball fell through the railings into the water.
What are we doing here... fishing, or ping pong? ?? pic.twitter.com/WFvxA168co
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 17, 2023
However, the Englishman showed the tenacity and desire that has led to him becoming a top-level F1 driver in retrieving the ball.
Using a metal scooper he reached into the water to try and bring the ball back and it took a few attempts after he initially pushed it further away.
He then finally grabbed hold of the ball before bringing it back on board.
We wonder how long it was before it went straight back into the water...
Russell fans impressed by his commitment
Fans took to social media to approve his efforts...
i've never seen someone so determined to get back a ping pong ball
— bela. (@i44schumi) June 17, 2023
George Russell is the kind of guy to retrieve your ping pong ball
— rie (official) (@High5Forever) June 17, 2023
Relatable Russell...
‘so close yet so far’ he’s so me???
— rosie ????✨?? (@spidey_rosie) June 17, 2023
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