Once George Russell’s Workout Buddy, Novak Djokovic Spotted Cheering for Rival Team at Qatar GP

Novak Djokovic (L) and George Russell (R)

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic was spotted in the McLaren garage during the first and only practice session in the penultimate round of the 2024 season in Qatar. This came as a surprise to many, as Djokovic is more often associated with Mercedes driver George Russell.

Djokovic and Russell’s friendship dates back to a chance meeting at the gym. The Briton once revealed that he bumped into the 24-time Grand Slam champion during a workout session, and their casual meeting turned into an enjoyable time together.

Not only did they exercise side by side, but they also walked home together afterward, sharing stories and insights. Their connection developed over time and earlier this year Russell and his girlfriend, Carmen Mundt, were seen cheering for Djokovic at Wimbledon.

The Mercedes driver had shown great support for the Serbian star, which made Djokovic’s appearance in the McLaren garage even more unexpected. Years ago, Djokovic got a thrilling ride in a McLaren P1 hypercar with two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen, which could have left a lasting impression on him, making him a supporter of the Woking-based squad.

Interestingly, Djokovic also spent time with other F1 teams before his McLaren visit as seen in his latest Instagram stories. He hung out with Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon and even joined Ferrari’s crew for some warm-up drills, but hasn’t yet visited the Mercedes garage.

Djokovic once gave clues to Russell to know when his girlfriend was mad at him

When the trio met at Wimbledon earlier this year, Djokovic gave Russell a telling “relationship hack” during a conversation with Carmen Mundt. While chatting about languages, the tennis star asked Mundt if the Briton was any good at speaking Spanish.

She said that he was pretty bad at it which led to Djokovic asking Mundt, “If you speak to him in Spanish, it means you’re upset or not?” Mundt confirmed that to be the case, which inadvertently led Russell to get the clue about when his girlfriend might be mad at him.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Carmen Mundt George Russell McLaren Novak Djokovic Qatar GP

About the author

Veerendra Vikram Singh

Veerendra Singh is a senior Formula 1 journalist at TheSportsRush, with a passion for the sport that goes back to 2008. His extensive coverage and deep understanding of the sport are evident in the more than 900 articles he has written so far on the sport and its famous personalities like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff, Charles Leclerc and more... When he's not at his work desk, Veerendra likes to spend time with his two feline friends and watch races from the Formula 1 and MotoGP archive. He is always up for a conversation about motorsport so you can hit him up anytime on his social media handles for a quick word.

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