George Russell may seem like a pretty harmless dude from a distance, but the man sure does have some quick quips up his sleeve. The Mercedes driver showcased his loyalty to his team by taking down their rivals, Red Bull, with a simple one-liner during a recent PR project.
Russell stood in front of a board with four markings- top tier, great, solid, and meh. Asked to put all the tracks of the 2023 season in these brackets, Russell gave his honest opinions on the layout and racing experiences of the tracks. However, one track wasn’t worth dissecting at all.
George Russell makes cheeky diss at his rivals
After carefully analyzing each track layout, Russell finally got to the Red Bull Ring. However, Russell couldn’t bother with the historic circuit in Spielberg. Further, he simply dismissed the circuit all for its name.
Looking at the image, the Brit smiled. “Red Bull Ring. I mean, just for its name, it’s got to go in the ‘meh’ column, hasn’t it?”
A clever retort from the driver, the fans did not miss the satire. Russell’s wit impressed the comment section of the video, as fans not only enjoyed the Red Bull diss but also his entertaining analysis of the tracks given to him.
While the Red Bull Ring sat at the bottom with only three of 23 circuits, it’s clear that the battle lines between Brackley and Milton Keynes will never be erased.
Why is the Red Bull Ring named so?
The sloping Austrian circuit has actually been an enjoyable experience for most drivers. The circuit was founded as ‘Österreichring’, which translates to the ‘Austrian circuit’. Before tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz, the circuit was also called A1-ring. However, after Mateschitz bought the circuit in 2004, the name Red Bull Ring stuck.
I got a glimpse of #Mateschitz at the Red Bull Ring on 9/7/2017
Just standing there, relaxed, owning the circuit, no fuss around him. pic.twitter.com/IeyMwnWQ8v— Philip van der Matten (@philipvdm) October 23, 2022
But why this circuit? Not only was the billionaire Austrian, but he also spent his childhood 37 miles from the beautiful track. Mateschitz has to be credited for reviving the Austrian GP, making it the grand event it is today. Mercedes mastermind, Niki Lauda, who has T1 of the track named after him, praised Mateschitz for his miracle. The Austrian champion declared “the area would be completely dead” without the Red Bull founder.
However, Russell chooses to stick to being a loyal Mercedes man. The infamous rivalry between the two teams, their bosses, the drivers, and even the fans has become a part of F1’s core. As the shots keep getting fired, one can only get their popcorn out and enjoy the show.
