How bizarre podium setup caused freak Mercedes injury

George Russell

How bizarre podium setup caused freak Mercedes injury

George Russell suffered a freak injury while celebrating

By Matthew Hobkinson.

Wednesday 24 June 2026 23:00

Mercedes F1 star George Russell has opened up on how a bizarre quirk of one track's podium caused a bizarre injury during his celebrations.

Since Russell moved to Mercedes, his celebrations have been iconic. Whether you love it or hate it, the 'T-pose' is one of the most recognisable expressions in F1.

Naturally, you would therefore assume if any celebration was going to go awry for George, it would be that.

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Perhaps he attempted it while stood on top of his Mercedes and slipped off? Well, the answer is actually very peculiar - and it all took place at the Singapore Grand Prix last year.

Russell's Singapore mishap

“From my previous wins and the years gone by, when you jump off the car, you know how much you’re falling. It was at this exact moment, I jumped and went, ‘Oh, s**t!’ The drop was bigger than I thought, because I was dropping beyond the platform.

“I landed, hurt my leg, hurt my ankle, but the adrenaline overcame me and carried me through it!”

Redemption for Russell

From the heartbreak of the 2023 race, which saw Russell crash out on the final lap as he was chasing down Lando Norris for the win, came the sheer jubilation of last year.

George Russell won the Singapore GP last year

“It was incredible,” Russell told F1 as he reflected back on his triumph.

“I remember watching the pole lap back, and I was really curious to see how close I’d get to that wall, where I crashed a few years earlier.

"I was really conscious of taking that out of my mind, and I was millimetres away from the wall, so that gave me a lot of pride knowing that it didn’t play on my mind too much.

“It felt so amazing – such a long race, being on the podium with Max and Lando, just totally destroyed!”

F1 Mercedes George Russell Singapore Grand Prix