Both Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff are major ‘adrenaline junkies’ and like to involve themselves in all sorts of activities when away from F1 tracks. Snowboarding, Skiing, mountain biking, and watersports are just some of the things they love to do in their free time. However, when George Russell tried to become more like them, he ended up hurting himself, which he revealed while appearing on Apple’s F1: Beyond The Grid Podcast.
Hamilton has long served as an inspiration for many to take up professional driving as a full-time career. However, he has also become an inspiration for Russell to step out of his comfort zone and try to live a more ‘adventurous’ life. In an attempt to do the same, Russell stepped a little too outside his “comfort” zone and ended up injuring himself.
Trying to copy Hamilton did not fare well for George Russell
Being a seasoned adventure sports enthusiast, Wolff knows the risks involved with them. As such, it is not the best of ideas for people to take them up just for fun, let alone a professional F1 driver. Speaking about wanting to become more like Hamilton, Russell revealed (via Apple’s F1: Beyond The Grid Podcast) that Wolff warned him against the risk, but he did not listen.
“I was talking with Toto (Wolff) before the break, I said, ‘I wanna try this, and try that.’ And Toto’s one who does a lot of activities, but I think he always, like, when it comes to- he sort of lets Lewis (Hamilton) get away with it, but when it comes to me, he’s like ‘You’ve got to be careful of this.”
Addressing the scars on his hand when Russell arrived in Zandvoort, he revealed he was in Spain trying to learn foilboarding. On his first day, Russell fell off, and the foil caught his wrist and sliced it open. Instead of being afraid of letting Wolff know of his injury, Russell was happy to know the team principal had broken a bone in his hand in a biking incident, which led to an ‘Even Stevens’ situation.
Russell and Wolff have developed a close friendship over the years
During the same interview, the host asked Russell what his relationship with Wolff was like, especially given the 26-year age gap between the two. While many might see Wolff as a ‘paternal’ presence in Russell’s life, the British driver reveals they share more of a friendly relationship. Having signed Russell as a 16-year-old, Wolff helped nurture and develop the driver to becoming what he is today.
Both of their partners are good friends with each other, too. The four of them spend a lot of time with each other often, having dinner together. Living roughly 200 meters from each other in Monaco, Russell and Wolff often hit the gym together or grab a cup of coffee in the morning. As friends, they don’t talk much about racing but spend their time talking about things such as free diving or other watersports.
