George Russell has come up with a tongue-in-cheek plan to stop Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli from clinching the Formula 1 championship at the United States Grand Prix: take him out drinking.
Antonelli has the chance to claim his maiden F1 title as he heads into the race at the Circuit of the Americas with a 102-point lead over second-placed Russell in the standings. To secure the title, the Italian driver would need to win the United States Grand Prix, with Russell finishing outside of the top eight and Lewis Hamilton outside of the top four.
The two Mercedes drivers appeared together at a fan forum ahead of the race weekend, where Russell joked that a night out in Austin could be his best chance of closing the gap to Antonelli.
"I could take you drinking," Russell told Antonelli in a clip widely shared on social media. "Actually, this could be a good way to beat you in the championship, to get you arrested on Sunday night."
The joke drew laughs from the crowd, especially as the 20-year-old has not yet reached the legal drinking age in the US.
"I really like Russell’s mentality. He gets way too much hate, but he’s accepted that this year he’s not done enough, and he just wants to get through it," one fan commented on Reddit, while another added: "It's a joke, unless..."
"Now George is starting to get the right idea! Really, though, I admire him being good-natured and joking about it," someone else posted.
Further reactions included: "You can see the look on his face afterwards; it’s like 'You know what, that’s not a bad idea. In for a penny, in for a pound,'" and "George thinking out loud."
The United States Grand Prix kicks off the penultimate triple-header of the season and will take place on Sunday 25 October.
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