George Russell’s on-track performances in 2023 were not as memorable as those of his debut Mercedes season. However, 2023 will forever remain the year when the famous “George Russell Meme Pose” was born. Before the year wrapped up, Mercedes admin decided to remind fans about it one final time, before the entire outfit buckles up for a busy winter.
When the opening credits ahead of races this season were first unveiled, fans couldn’t help but be perplexed at Russell’s pose. The Briton had both his arms outstretched, with his head tilted downwards and one leg behind the other. While there was nothing very bizarre about it, the pose was certainly very different from the other drivers’.
george russell in the 2023 f1 season opening credits sequence pic.twitter.com/y6Jm4bSEmV
— shi (@afterlauqhter) December 28, 2023
Fans immediately did what they do best – make memes. Posts flooded all over social media, with some people even comparing Russell‘s pose to the front wing of an F1 car. Fans surely had fun with it, and the former Williams driver was okay with it, as he played along.
the amount of george russell memes that have come from the f1 opening credits has forced to me officially make an f1 photo folder on my phone because i can’t stop laughing at them pic.twitter.com/RNzYXZLcPf
— carm 🙂 (@bubblecarm) March 3, 2023
As a result, it is fitting that before the clock struck midnight and we entered into 2024, the Mercedes admin posted one last picture of Russell in that pose. This picture, however, seemed to be taken over a month ago, at the season finale in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
For one last time in 2023 pic.twitter.com/6zZ4jdHaJ8
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 31, 2023
On New Year’s Eve of 2024, however, the Mercedes admin will be hoping for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to be posing holding trophies in their respective hands.
George Russell and Mercedes gearing up for a resurgent 2024 season
Since the 2022 regulations kicked in, Mercedes have struggled. That unfortunately coincided with Russell’s arrival in the team. So, the King’s Lynn-born driver was never able to be a part of the dominant Silver Arrows that teams were so scared of during the turbo-hybrid era.
However, Mercedes are making progress. They will scrap the idea that made the W14, and come up with a car that they build from scratch. Red Bull is the most dominant outfit in F1 at the moment. Still, Mercedes and Russell will be hoping to close the gap to them.
On the other hand, the Brackley-based outfit has to be wary of other teams too. Ferrari and McLaren looked good towards the end of the season. They too, will be looking to compete with Red Bull for wins, and potentially even the championship.
