George Russell expressed his apologies for teasing a glum Lando Norris after the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. The Mercedes racer decided to take action to coax a grin from his McLaren counterpart after an underwhelming result for the championship leader in the short-form race.
Following the sprint event, as both drivers approached the interview zone, Russell couldn’t resist gesturing with a finger on each side of Norris’ mouth, trying to elicit a smile. The effort came after a disheartened Norris ended in eighth place, while Lewis Hamilton took the limelight by securing his maiden win for Ferrari.
Brushing off the gesture, Norris half-jokingly reprimanded Russell: “Don’t touch me!” To which Russell cheekily retorted: “I’m just trying to make you smile, mate.”
Russell then assured a dismayed Norris that he had practiced good hygiene: “I’ve washed my hands, I’ve only just come out of the loo,” reports the Express.
But Norris was visibly less than amused and responded: “Did you just go to the toilet? You better have washed your hands, that’s grim… Jesus! I need some disinfectant.”
Adding a hint of irony to his apology, Russell told his racing peer: “Sorry mate that was pretty disgusting, I do apologise.” Playing along, Norris joked back: “I’m reporting you to HR.”
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Playful banter between the two friendly rivals has been rife in recent weeks, both on the circuit and beyond. Norris appeared astonished to hear that Russell rates the new campaign’s McLaren car more highly than the dominant Red Bull of 2023.
Norris suggested that Russell is indulging in “a lot of games” with such claims. “Ha! What? A bigger advantage than the 2023 car that like won everything? Right,” a shocked Norris retorted when the suggestion was made by his fellow Brit.
“I thought he was a bit smarter than that but clearly not. I don’t even need to say anything. I think it’s obvious enough that it’s not. George thinks he can play a lot of games but I don’t fall for any of them. The car clearly is not [as strong as Red Bull in 2023].
“It’s very good – we have got the best car – but the fact he’s been so much ‘season’s over’ after one race is a bit weird. But he can do whatever he wants. I am happy he thinks those things. It seems like I am in his head, as if they can’t catch up. But I let them do what they want.”
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