Instead of driving himself, George Russell became a spectator at the Formula 1 race in Mexico—and caused a stir with his undercover stunt.
A video titled “Undercover George” is circulating on social media, showing how Russell did it: He put on a dark jacket and, most importantly, a Mexican wrestling mask so that the other fans wouldn’t recognize him. The tactic worked: Russell was able to watch the first free practice session undisturbed and in peace.
Russell’s conclusion on his “undercover” mission in Mexico
He later said: “As a Formula 1 driver, you can’t just watch Formula 1 anymore. You rarely get the opportunity to go out. And I thought to myself, you know what, I’ll try to do something reasonably normal for a change.”
Haven’t watched F1 cars on track in years, so found a way to sneak into the stands while Fred was driving my car pic.twitter.com/Ghg2gnzFmF
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) October 24, 2025
His conclusion: “I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t seen Formula 1 cars on the track for years. It was cool. I saw what everyone else sees. I wasn’t recognized too often and enjoyed it.“
An encounter with fans wearing Russell T-shirts was particularly amusing. As he walked by, Russell said, ”He’s a good driver!”
George Russell spotting fans wearing his merch while undercover MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/6vklQ4eoka
— Autosport (@autosport) October 25, 2025
Equally entertaining was the scene when Mercedes test driver Frederik Vesti drove through the stadium right in front of Russell. Russell said in the video: “That’s my car! He’s driving my car!”
“He’s driving my car!”
Vesti later picked up on this remark on social media and commented on Russell’s post: “Next time, just don’t leave the keys on the table!”
Vesti was one of nine so-called Friday drivers in the first free practice session of Formula 1 in Mexico. According to the regulations, teams must put young drivers in the car for one session several times per season – each driver must therefore sit out twice in total, as Russell did in Mexico.
The Mercedes driver provided a humorous scene at the end of his outing when he jumped over the turnstile at the entrance to the paddock without scanning his card first. The security guard called after him in irritation. But Russell just waved his card and shouted, “I have the pass!” That was enough.
