Overview
- Mercedes fulfilled its rookie running by placing Frederik Vesti in Russell’s car for the opening practice session.
- Russell shared a grandstand selfie captioned, “Haven’t watched F1 cars on track in years,” as Mercedes and Formula One posted an accompanying undercover video.
- The posts drew hundreds of thousands of likes and widespread reaction within hours.
- Russell returned for second practice and placed sixth, with teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli third on the timesheet.
- Coverage framed the stunt as a light‑hearted fan engagement moment, with no disciplinary consequences reported.