George Russell, an avid sports fan, spends his time away from the F1 track attending tennis and soccer games. However, the Mercedes driver also has a passion for rugby, which led to a hilarious and unexpected encounter with royalty during one of his visits to a match.
In an interview from earlier this year, Russell explained how he once mistook himself for a member of the British Royal Family. He was at a rugby game—presumably in England—when a group of fans started shouting the name “Prince George”.
“I thought this is a bit strange, like all these people screaming at me,” Russell said. “I turned around and it was the real Prince George standing behind me.”
gr: “I was at a rugby match and suddenly everyone in front of me turned around and looked up screaming ‘George! Prince George!’ I thought this was a bit strange, like all these people screaming at me. I turned around and it was the real Prince George standing behind me.”
— simal⁶³ (@russelldocs) October 20, 2024
Russell was, of course, referring to Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William and Princess Catherine. He was not being narcissistic, and also couldn’t be blamed for making this mistake since his first name, after all, is George.
Russell’s alternate career prospect
As it turns out, Russell is quite a big rugby fan. When he attended his first Rugby World Cup (as a spectator of course) in France last year, he revealed that he used to play it at school. Unfortunately, he had to give it up, owing to his dream of making it to F1.
Russell said that his school was not comfortable with him missing days for racing, while also playing other sports. So he had to pick a road — rugby or F1. The 26-year-old chose the thrill of speed.
However, the love he developed for rugby when he was just 12 years old is still strong today, and he enjoys the game to bits.
In addition to watching rugby in stadiums, Russell has also been in attendance at other high-profile sports matches like the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the Euro 2024 soccer finals.
